Before all you Apple Watch wearers get too excited, no, there’s still not a WhatsApp Apple Watch app — a girl can only dream. Instead, we 2 million or so WhatsApp users will have to find another way to read and reply to messages on the move, and I’m here to talk you through exactly how to do it.
Sadly, if you own one of the best Apple Watches on the market, it’s not going to be as simple as responding to an iMessage from your watch. Yes, your Apple Watch might be an extension of your iPhone in many ways — heck, it’s one of the best smartwatches on the market. But unfortunately, there are no signs of Meta signing off on syncing messages just yet. So it’s a bit of a challenge.
Below, I’ve listed how to view your WhatsApp messages from your Apple Watch, and how to reply to them without having to dig your phone out of your bag. There’s still no way to view media from your Apple Watch screen, so you will have to scurry around for your phone to view the cute photos of your dog at daycare.
How to receive WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch
Despite there not being an Apple Watch app, you can still see WhatsApp message notifications flash up on your watch. To do this, you’ll need to enable the notifications from your iPhone. Here’s how:
- Go to Settings, then Notifications, then WhatsApp
- From here, you want to ensure that Alerts to your Lock Screen are enabled.
- Then go into the Watch app on your iPhone
- Scroll down through the Mirror iPhone Alerts From the list, and ensure WhatsApp is toggled on.
Once you follow these steps, you’ll be able to see notifications from WhatsApp on your Apple Watch when you’re on the go. You’ll be able to read the message from your Watch. However, picture and video messages will be blurred — unfortunately, there’s no way to view these from your Watch without using a third-party app, but more on that below.
How to reply to WhatsApp messages from your Apple Watch
So now you can read all the messages in that group chat from your Watch (we’ll let you decide if that’s a good thing), but how do you reply to them? When the notification pops up on your watch, you can reply using one of the suggested messages like ‘Hello’, ‘What’s Up?, ‘OK’, or ‘On my way’ — handy if you’re in a hurry.
You can also use the watch’s built-in microphone to record a message and send it right back — useful if you have a lot to say. Or use the keyboard — it’s pretty small, especially if you have a 41mm Apple Watch, but it does the job.
How to send WhatsApp messages from your Apple Watch
When it comes to sending messages from your Apple Watch, you’ll need to use a third-party app. There are a few out there, but our favorite right now is WatchChat2, which has a free and paid version — you’ll need to pay $2.99 to unlock the app’s full functionality.
The app is simple to use and allows you to view WhatsApp messages, reply to them, and even see photos and videos. It’s simple to use and install, using the following steps:
- On your iPhone head to the Watch app, and go to the App Store
- Search and download WatchChat2
- Once downloaded, open the app on your Apple Watch
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone and go to Settings, the WhatsApp Web, then Scan QR Code
- Scan the code on the Apple Watch — now the two should be connected
As a reminder, because this is a third-party app, you’ll need to keep it updated to ensure the functionality is up to scratch. To the best of our knowledge, there are no rumors about a WhatsApp Apple Watch app coming any time soon, so while it might not be perfect, this is the best way to respond to messages on the move for the time being.
