WhatsApp announced today that it is rolling out the ability for users to use two accounts simultaneously. That means you can switch between two accounts in the same WhatsApp instance.
Mark Zuckerberg announced the feature on his Facebook page and said the feature is coming soon to users on Android.
Historically, people had to carry two phones to use two WhatsApp accounts. Now, the company is making it possible to use just one phone for two accounts. Phone manufacturers such as Xiaomi and Oppo have also had features like app cloning to let people take advantage of multiple WhatsApp instances.
“Helpful for switching between accounts – such as your work and personal – now you no longer need to log out each time, carry two phones or worry about messaging from the wrong place,” the company said in a blog post.
Users can go to Settings > Add Account to add a second account. While setting up, you will need your second phone with SIM or a phone with physical or eSIM facility for multi-SIM. The company said that you will be able to manage separate notifications and privacy settings for each account.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp rolled out passkey support for the Android version, so users can log into the app without SMS-based two-factor authentication.
WhatsApp already has multi-device support so users can use one account on four devices. Earlier this year, the company rolled out a feature to allow multiple smartphones to log into one account.
