With the Apple Watch, you can do many things that save you from picking up your mobile. The device is fairly self-sufficient, although it still needs the iPhone to perform many functions. Among them is chatting through instant messaging apps, although little by little, solutions are appearing. We will show you how to install WhatsApp on your Apple Watch with its full functions.
We are not only going to explain how to download the app, but you are also going to see everything you can do with it from the Apple watch.
HOW THE OFFICIAL WHATSAPP APP WORKS ON THE APPLE WATCH
The truth is that there is no application for the Apple Watch, something that does not happen with competing platforms such as Telegram. Instead, the watch has a notification system with which WhatsApp can work, although there are numerous limitations to working with that interface. This app only allows you to read conversations or reply with quick messages from the small screen, so you can’t record audio, let alone open or send photos.
Also, the response modes are unintuitive since you have to write the message letter by letter with your finger or choose some of the quick suggestions that the Apple Watch system proposes. To have this, you must make a few settings from your mobile.
- On iPhone, open the Clock app.
- Press the tab My Watch tab.
- Scroll to the section Notifications section.
- In the Duplicate iPhone notifications section, activate the WhatsApp switch.
In this way, when a notification arrives on your watch, you can read the conversations or send some message as long as it is in text format.
HOW TO INSTALL WHATSAPP ON YOUR APPLE WATCH WITH ALL ITS FUNCTIONS
However, there is a way to have an independent WhatsApp app, with which you will also have the functions the mobile version already has. You will need a third-party app that you can download safely and for free from the App Store. It is about WatchChat, and these are the steps to download it:
- Press the Digital Crown to see the home screen, then the App Store.
- Tap Search to find apps with Handheld or Dictation, or scroll down to discover featured apps and curated app collections.
- Select an app to see its description, ratings and reviews, screenshots, release notes, and more.
- Tap the price or tap Get.
- Double-click the side button under the Digital Crown to download and install the app when prompted.
Next, you must install the same app on your iPhone to link it between both devices. Once downloaded, it must appear in the Applications section installed on the Apple Watch within the Clock app. Follow the steps indicated by the app, which consist of the following:
- Open WatchChat on the Apple Watch.
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone.
- From there, go to Settings and enter Pair device.
- A QR code will appear on the watch that you can scan with the mobile camera.
With that, you could already see all your WhatsApp conversations, with a layout similar to those on mobile phones. It does not show all the conversations in history, but it allows you to send audio, listen to them, and open images or videos. All this is done with total ease and fairly acceptable speed since the loading times are not long. You can even send stickers, although they are sent as an image from this app.
To write, the app allows you to use the T9 keyboard to send messages from the watch. If we remember, this keyboard was used many years ago for SMS and cell phones with keys. It is not the most effective method, but it is already more than the Apple Watch allows.
The only negative is that this app is only free for the first three days. However, buying it is relatively low because it is priced at 3.49 euros for a year’s service. If you want to buy it forever, you can pay 7.99 euros once. If you’re going to text a lot on the watch daily, it might be worth buying.
- Download WatchChat for iPhone.
I am a writer with eight years of experience writing in business and technology. I always carry a passion for learning and discovering new knowledge.