One of the things that truly sets the Apple Watch apart from its competitors and keeps it in the top spot when it comes to the best smartwatches is its awesome ecosystem of third-party apps. But what surprised me the most when I started using the Apple Watch was the lack of an official watchOS app for WhatsApp. If you are facing the same issue, here is how to use WhatsApp on your Apple Watch.
WatchChat 2
To be honest, there are quite a few apps in the watchOS App Store that claim to let you use WhatsApp on the Apple Watch, but WatchChat 2 is the app I like the most and recommend using it.
The app is a kind of wrapper for WhatsApp Web; this means you will have to scan a QR code to link the app to your WhatsApp account, but after that it runs smoothly. For the sake of clarity, let me show you the steps you need to follow to set up WatchChat 2 on your Apple Watch.
- Buy and install WatchChat 2 ($2.99 | ₹249) on your iPhone and Apple Watch.
- Launch the app on your Apple Watch. You should see a QR code on your watch screen. If you can’t see it, wait 10-20 seconds and then tap on ‘Retry’.
- Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone and click ‘Settings -> WhatsApp Web/Desktop -> Scan QR Code‘. Now scan the QR code on your watch.
You will now see all your WhatsApp Chats on your watch. It’s clean, isn’t it?
WatchChat 2 Features
Now that you want to use WhatsApp on your Apple Watch, I’m pretty sure your use case isn’t limited to just reading messages. Fortunately, WatchChat 2 brings a host of features to WhatsApp on the Apple Watch, which makes it pretty awesome to use. Here are some of the best.
1. Read and Reply to Messages
With WatchChat 2, you can also reply to messages directly from your Apple Watch. Simply tap the ‘Keyboard’ icon to write a message. You can open the emoji selection screen and add emoji to your message.
There’s also support for the FlickType keyboard, an app I’d definitely recommend downloading, and of course, there are quick responses you can use from within the app.
2. Start New Conversations
WatchChat 2 also lets you start new conversations if you want. You can hard press the screen and tap ‘Contacts’ to call the person or group you want to message and start a conversation. For example, the screenshot below shows that I have asked my colleagues in our Quarantine group to join me for a PUBG game.
3. View Pictures and Videos
One of the things I love most about WatchChat 2 is that it lets you watch images and videos you receive on WhatsApp in high definition, which is great.
SEE ALSO: 10 Best Free Apple Watch Games to Play in 2020
Use WhatsApp on Apple Watch with WatchChat 2
While it’s surprising that WhatsApp doesn’t have an official app for the Apple Watch, it’s great to have a bunch of great third-party apps that make it possible to use WhatsApp on your watch, even though ‘Facebook Messenger’ does have one. WatchChat 2 isn’t the only option you can watch, but I’ve tried other apps as well, and it really is the best among them. I would not recommend spending your money on other WhatsApp apps for watchOS.
