Facebook announced that it has begun testing multi-device messaging capabilities for WhatsApp Messenger. Currently, to use WhatsApp on a second device (such as WhatsApp Web or WhatsApp Desktop), the other device needs to be connected to your smartphone through an active network connection.
With the new multi-device feature, people can use WhatsApp on other devices without the need for a smartphone connection. Today, Facebook announced that the multi-device function of WhatsApp will be closed and tested in a limited number. With this new feature, even if your phone is turned off without power, you can now use WhatsApp on your phone and up to four other non-phone devices at the same time.
Each supporting device will be independently connected to your WhatsApp while maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end encryption, which is what people using WhatsApp expect. What’s important is that Facebook says that they have developed new technologies that can synchronize your data on different devices while maintaining end-to-end encryption—such as contact names, chat files, starred information, etc. Wait.
Currently, WhatsApp is available on the Internet, macOS, Windows’s supporting device experience and Portal uses smartphone applications as the main device, making the phone the true source of all user data, and it is the only device that can encrypt or decrypt information, initiate calls, etc. The supporting device maintains a permanent and secure connection with the mobile phone, and only reflects its content on its own user interface.
Under the new architecture, each device now has its own identity key. The WhatsApp server maintains the mapping relationship between each person’s account and the identities of all their devices. When someone wants to send a message, they will get their device list key from the server.
Facebook has also developed new technology to add devices to someone’s account by using extended security codes and automatic device verification to prevent malicious or compromised servers from eavesdropping on someone’s communications. This system allows the automatic establishment of trust between devices in such a way that someone needs to compare the user’s security code only when another user re-registers his entire account, rather than every time a new device is linked to his account.
