WhatsApp for the Apple Watch is here

WhatsApp has released its official app for the Apple Watch. This allows users to use the messenger directly on the smartwatch for the first time, without relying on the previously limited notifications. As WhatsApp announced in its blog, the application is available immediately. Until now, various app providers have been active in the App Store, mostly for a fee, promising to make the messenger usable on the watch.

The release comes just a few days after the start of the public test phase via TestFlight. Ten and a half years after the Apple Watch was launched, Meta had not previously offered a standalone watchOS application for its messenger; users could only view WhatsApp messages on the watch via iPhone notifications and respond with pre-made replies.

Full-fledged messenger on your wrist

The new app brings the most important messenger functions to the Apple Watch. Users can open chats, read and reply to messages, send emojis and reactions, and record voice messages. The user interface has been adapted to the smaller form factor of the smart watch and displays a chat list. Unlike the Mac or Windows versions, no manual setup via a link code is necessary – the watchOS app synchronizes automatically with the iPhone application and is installed as a companion app after installing or updating WhatsApp on the iPhone.

The WhatsApp app for watchOS does not work independently but requires an active connection to the paired iPhone. This also applies to Apple Watch models with their own cellular connection, such as Series 11 or Ultra 3. If the watch loses connection to the smartphone, the app displays a corresponding message. WhatsApp specifies watchOS 10 as the minimum requirement, so the app also runs on the current watchOS 26.

(mki)