Apple Watches are among the most popular and widely-used smart accessories today, offering the convenience of making payments and receiving calls and messages while on the go, as well as a wide array of interesting applications that make your daily life that much simpler.
Considering this fact, it’s no wonder you might want to use WhatsApp on your Watch as well, in order to stay in touch with friends and family. Unfortunately, the WhatsApp platform doesn’t offer a version of their app that’s compatible with Apple Watches, as of yet. However, that doesn’t mean all hope is lost.
You can still utilize your Watch to view any notifications you get from WhatsApp, and even reply to them using quick replies. Here’s how:
Viewing WhatsApp messages on your Watch
While you can’t exactly download a dedicated, official application, you can still view any WhatsApp notifications on your Watch that you receive through your phone, and respond to them by utilizing the provided list of simple replies. Just follow the steps below:
- Load the Settings application using your iPhone.
- Click on Notifications, and then press WhatsApp.
- Here, turn on the toggle located next to Allow Notifications. Make sure that the Show on Lock Screen and Show in Notification Center options are toggled on as well.
- Next, load the Watch application using your iPhone, and click on Notifications.
- Here, find WhatsApp, and then turn on the toggle located next to this option.
Note: While doing this will allow you to read any notifications you get from WhatsApp, you will only be allowed to reply to them with quick phrases like ‘OK’, ‘Hello’ or ‘On My Way’; you won’t be able to type or record any new messages.
Downloading an alternative for WhatsApp
If you want to utilize all the benefits of WhatsApp on your Apple Watch, you might want to download a third-party app from the App Store that will serve as a “wrapper” for messaging. Although Chatify and WatchChat might be the most popular options, there are many other apps available, which all work in the same manner. Here’s how:
- Download your preferred application to your Watch, and open it once installed.
- Next, load the WhatsApp application using your iPhone, and click on Settings. Here, tap on WhatsApp Web, and then click on Scan QR Code.
- Finally, simply scan the QR code that shows up on your Watch, using your phone.
This will now give you the option to use WhatsApp on the Apple Watch as you normally would, allowing you to send regular messages, look at stickers, emojis, and pictures, or listen to received voice messages.
Although you can’t download the official version of WhatsApp onto your Apple Watch, you could still utilize some or most of the app’s features, either by enabling notifications or by downloading a third-party application.
