Meta has released a standalone WhatsApp app for Apple Watch, enabling users to read, respond to, and manage chats directly from their wrist without needing their iPhone nearby.
The app supports key messaging functions, voice messaging, reactions, and notifications, and is available immediately for Apple Watch Series 4 and newer running watchOS 10 or later.
The new app marks the first full-featured native WhatsApp experience on Apple Watch, expanding the platform’s reach beyond smartphones and aligning it with user demand for more independent wearable messaging capabilities. While previous integrations relied heavily on iPhone connectivity and offered limited interaction, this release provides a significantly richer and more autonomous experience.
Users can now view full-length messages, send replies using dictation or Scribble, and even record and send voice messages directly from their watch. The app also supports emoji reactions to messages, provides enhanced image and sticker previews, and allows users to scroll through more of their recent chat history within the compact watch interface. Incoming WhatsApp call alerts now display contact details, helping users decide whether to answer without needing to reach for their phone.
Meta has emphasized that all communications on the Apple Watch app remain protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption, consistent with its security model across platforms. This ensures that messages, calls, and voice recordings remain private and inaccessible to Meta or third parties, even on wearable devices.
WhatsApp, which serves over 2 billion users globally, remains one of the most widely used messaging platforms worldwide. Expanding its functionality to the Apple Watch aligns with growing demand for wearables to offer standalone utility, particularly for communication and health-related apps. Apple’s own ecosystem has steadily moved toward independence with features like cellular connectivity and third-party app support, and WhatsApp’s arrival adds a high-profile tool to that roster.
The launch supports Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, requiring at least watchOS 10. Meta notes that this is an initial version, and further improvements will be guided by user feedback.
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