WhatsApp: Rumors of iPad app on the way
The tablet version of the communication service has been in an iPadOS beta phase for two years. Is something finally happening? Fresh coffee grounds reading.
WhatsApp app on a smartphone – not on the iPad.
(Image: PixieMe/Shutterstock.com)
Meta and the iPad – is a never-ending story. While the social media giant regularly puts off an Instagram version for Apple tablet users without anything tangible having been created yet, there is at least a WhatsApp beta for iPadOS. But that doesn't mean that it will finally be released. Next September, the pre-release version made available via TestFlight will be available for a full two years without Meta making any moves to release a final version. The company has not commented on why this is the case. Now, however, the coffee grounds reading is starting again: the official WhatsApp account on X is causing a stir with a simple emoji.
WhatsApp and an X emoji
When a user pointed out that “they”, i.e., Meta, should “add WhatsApp for iPad”, the company responded with an eye icon. In chatter circles, this is often translated as “I'm looking at it”. Whether it means this or the WhatsApp team is just trolling the customer is unclear, however. In the further dialog of the thread, there is no response to inquiries. However, the WhatsApp profile did not post the eye emoji online as a reply, but as its reaction post – apparently wanted it to be seen.
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The TestFlight beta of WhatsApp for the iPad is an exclusive affair: the allotment of places was quickly filled. The interface is supposed to be similar to the Mac version of WhatsApp and, as usual, you need an account on a cell phone to activate the version on the other device. There is synchronization between the platforms, regardless of whether the main device is an iPhone or an Android phone. For comparison: there was a year between the Mac beta and the Mac release of WhatsApp. It remains unclear why the iPad version, which should actually be easier to implement, is now taking almost two years.
iPad drama with Instagram
Meta is already experiencing a similar drama with Instagram, although there is not even a beta here. The management repeats every few years that an Apple tablet version of the image and video service might be on the cards, but the details are always vague.
Then it is said again that creating – which is actually very easy in Xcode – is not worthwhile. Yet, the iPad is by far the best-selling tablet in the world. Until now, users have had to use Instagram in the browser. This has been the case for 15 years now.
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