WhatsApp for iPad is Officially Here: Here’s a Closer Look

Other than the Calculator, which has finally made its way to iPad with iPadOS 18, there is another app that wasn’t available on Apple’s tablet. If you haven’t guessed it yet, it’s WhatsApp, the popular messaging app used by billions across the globe. Today, after years of waiting, WhatsApp for iPad has finally made its debut.

WhatsApp has announced its official iPad app, which has remained in Testflight beta for almost two years now. So, you no longer need to resort to WhatsApp Web as the native app brings some much-requested features users have been asking for, like the ability to make voice and video calls. Yep, this basic functionality is still absent from WhatsApp Web, so iPad users were left with only texting.

To put things in perspective, here’s a list of new features that have arrived on WhatsApp for iPad:

• Place voice and video calls
• You can send and see view-once photos
• Can send a message offline
• Use iPad features like Center Stage, camera reactions, Studio lights, and Portrait blur.

Since we have got an early hands-on of WhatsApp on our iPad, let me take you on a quick tour of how things work around here.

The iPad app for WhatsApp takes advantage of the larger screen real estate, as evident from the main conversation page. It hasn’t changed much since we last tried the first iPad beta back in 2023. You get a split layout with your chat list in the left pane and conversations in the right pane.

At the bottom, you have tabs for Updates, Calls, Communities, Chats, and Settings. If you have used WhatsApp on your iPhone, then you will feel right at home here.

When you open a chat, you can spot the video and voice call options at the top of the chat window. Tap on either one of the icons to place a call. If you have used iPad’s exclusive video calling features like Centre Stage, reactions, and Studio lights before, then you have them all here as well.

Moreover, you can finally send some not-so-safe-for-work memes to view once photos from the iPad on WhatsApp. Again, it works similarly to how you send them on your iPhone. You can also enable voice transcripts from settings that will transcribe any received voice note with the help of AI.

Of course, the biggest perk of having an official iPad app is that you can also receive message notifications on time. You no longer need to keep a Safari tab active or open it every time you want to check new messages.

Oddly enough, I couldn’t find some of the more fun and useful features that recently arrived on WhatsApp. There’s no option to create chat filters that help you organise your chats. Chat themes are also absent, so expect to wait a little longer before you can try out WhatsApp’s new colorful themes. It is also worth highlighting that you need to set it up as a linked device as before.

I suppose WhatsApp stuck to the basics, but hey, I’m not complaining. We now have a native app. The experience is buttery smooth and perfectly in sync with what we’ve come to expect. So, unless you’re one of those beta-testing elite, stop dilly-dallying and get WhatsApp for iPad from the App Store today!