WhatsApp has finally released the update everyone was asking for

WhatsApp has finally launched an iPad app, after years of pleading from users.

The tablet will now be able to receive and send messages and take part in group chats just like a phone.

Meta acknowledged that the app was “one of our biggest requests”. It is now available on the App Store for most modern iPads.

Previously, WhatsApp could only work on one device, and even the web version of the app was just an extension of the one on the phone, requiring it to stay switched on and connected. In 2020, however, WhatsApp rolled out support for multiple devices – a development that even then led to speculation about a possible tablet app.

For now, the iPad app offers the same features that are available on the phone version, just blown up for a bigger screen. Meta said it was “only the start” for the iPad app, but gave no indication of what features might be on their way.

WhatsApp noted that it does have a feature called chat lock, which can keep conversations hidden behind a password or fingerprint. That means that WhatsApp chats can stay private even on shared devices, it noted.

Instagram, which is also developed by Facebook parent company Meta, has also long refused to launch an iPad app. Intermittently, executives have responded to requests for the app by saying that it is not a high enough priority in the company.

That may have changed in recent months, however. A recent report suggested that Instagram was working on its own iPad app, potentially in response to the success of TikTok.