A trusted source with a good track record suggests that the official WhatsApp iPad app and the offline Mac version are already in the works.
WhatsApp can still be used on Mac devices, but the application is far from ideal. The product cannot be used on its own, as a wireless connection to the phone is a prerequisite. Therefore, all messages, incoming and outgoing, are transmitted exclusively through the iPhone.
The situation is even worse with the iPad. There is no official version of WhatsApp for such devices, so users have to use third-party applications. They perform the same function of relaying through the web API.
The problem is that the iPhone version of the app can only support 1 device at a time, so you won’t be able to use iPad and Mac together.
However, WABetainfo reports that WhatsApp programmers are working to turn the application into a multi-platform service, similar to Apple’s own messenger. Once completed, WhatsApp can be used on multiple devices at the same time.
In other words, WhatsApp is developing a completely new system that will allow the application account to be used on several Apple gadgets at the same time.
For consumers, using a multi-platform system means the following:
- The main WhatsApp account is also available on the iPad (after the release of the updated application). However, it does not need to be removed from the iPhone.
- The same account is kept on both iOS and Android devices.
- WhatsApp can be installed on a computer. At the same time, access to the Internet via a mobile phone is not a prerequisite for use.
There is no information on the site regarding the Mac version of the app. There is only evidence that the version will be desktop, but since the company already has an official application for Mac and Windows, this is beyond doubt.
Implementing interpersonal encryption on multiple devices is challenging because the message must be encrypted directly on the device itself. Apple has a suitable solution for its own messenger, and for this it uses a similar encryption method. Instead of a single public key that is used to authenticate a user to other chat participants, Apple uses an entire cluster – one per device. WhatsApp is supposed to take the same approach.
But it should be borne in mind that with this method, the security threat will slightly increase. The fact is that any new device that has access to the public key can join the chat. This is why Apple sends notifications to all chat participants every time a new device joins it.
British security officials recently put forward a proposal that Apple and other tech companies should change their approach slightly. It was assumed that police officers would be added to each encrypted chat. Naturally, Apple and others vehemently rejected the offer.