Besides the Calculator app, which has finally arrived on the iPad with iPadOS 18, another long-awaited app has now made its way to Apple’s tablet. If you haven’t guessed yet, it’s WhatsApp the messaging platform used by billions worldwide. After years of anticipation, WhatsApp for iPad has officially launched.
WhatsApp’s dedicated iPad app, which spent nearly two years in TestFlight beta, is now available for everyone. This means you no longer have to rely on WhatsApp Web. The native app brings much-needed features users have been requesting, including voice and video calls capabilities that are still missing from WhatsApp Web, leaving iPad users limited to texting only until now.
To give you a clearer picture, here’s a rundown of the new features available on WhatsApp for iPad:
- Make voice and video calls
- Send and view photos that disappear after one viewing
- Send messages even when offline
- Take advantage of iPad-specific features like Center Stage, camera reactions, Studio Light, and Portrait Blur
Having spent some early time with WhatsApp on our iPad, let me walk you through how it works.
The app makes good use of the iPad’s bigger screen, especially noticeable on the main chat page. It’s quite similar to the first beta we tested back in 2023, featuring a split layout that shows your chat list on the left side and the active conversation on the right.
At the bottom of the screen, you’ll find tabs for Updates, Calls, Communities, Chats, and Settings so if you’re familiar with WhatsApp on the iPhone, this will feel very familiar.
Inside a chat, the video and voice call buttons are right at the top of the window. Just tap either icon to start a call. And if you’ve used the iPad’s exclusive video calling features like Center Stage, reactions, and Studio Light before, you’ll find them all available here too.
Plus, you can now send those not-so-safe-for-work memes as view-once photos directly from your iPad, just like you would on your iPhone. There’s also an option in settings to enable voice transcripts, which uses AI to convert any incoming voice notes into text.
The biggest advantage of having a dedicated iPad app, though, is timely message notifications. No more needing to keep a Safari tab open or constantly refresh just to see new messages.
Interestingly, some of the newer, fun features recently added to WhatsApp are still missing here. For example, there’s no option to create chat filters to organize your conversations, and chat themes aren’t available yet so you’ll have to wait a bit longer to try out those colorful new looks. Also, just like before, you’ll need to set up the iPad app as a linked device.
It seems WhatsApp kept things simple for now, but honestly, that’s not a bad thing. We finally have a native app, and the experience feels smooth and exactly what you’d expect. So unless you’re part of the beta-testing crew, don’t wait any longer head over to the App Store and grab WhatsApp for iPad today!
