Meta’s WhatsApp is rolling out dual account features on smartphones. This makes the service keep up with its competitors like iMessage and Telegram.
With the advent of electronic SIM cards, users can now have more than one phone number per phone. This enables users to have a personal and professional line, and a WhatsApp account for each. The Verge says:
If you use two different WhatsApp accounts, you’ll soon be able to access both from just one device. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Thursday that WhatsApp is rolling out the ability to switch between accounts on Android, and you won’t need to lug around an extra device or continuously log out of your account to be able to do so.
This new feature should make it easier to manage your conversations across multiple accounts, like if you have one WhatsApp account for work and another for messaging friends and family members. It’s rolling out in the coming weeks.
WhatsApp is especially popular in the rest of the world, while Americans still rely on text messaging, either SMS or iMessage. Conversations are end-to-end encrypted, which is now standard across many messaging applications. Android Police explains:
The option to log into a secondary profile can be found in WhatsApp settings by tapping the down arrow next to your name. Then select Add account from the dialog box that appears. Notifications from the two WhatsApp accounts will mention the phone number in the beginning. This way, you will always know to which account the message was received on.
Both WhatsApp profiles will have access to your contact book, documents, and media files. However, no data is shared between the two WhatsApp accounts, including conversations. They are all separate, with end-to-end encryption enabled for all chats for complete security.
Meta’s push for the use of WhatsApp is partly due to the platform’s better reputation for privacy, unlike Facebook or Instagram. Unlike other Big Tech firms, Meta still relies primarily on advertising revenue, meaning it needs its users to actively use products rather than subscribe to them.
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