WhatsApp expands CarPlay, Android Auto and iPad features
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WhatsApp has announced a fresh round of features aimed at making the Meta-owned app work more fully across devices, rather than just as a mobile messaging tool. The headline update improves its Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration, previously limited to composing messages and placing calls, so drivers can now hear and reply to messages, view call history and access favourite contacts. Alongside this, WhatsApp is enabling standalone account sign-ups on iPad, status sharing from music apps, and in-app PDF viewing and light editing.
Users can now register a WhatsApp account directly through the iPad app rather than linking it to a phone, though a phone number is still required to receive the initial verification code; once set up, the iPad account runs independently rather than as a companion device. Other additions include sharing songs from Apple Music or Spotify to a WhatsApp Status, and opening PDFs directly within chats on web and desktop, with options to highlight and annotate without downloading the file. The rollout follows other recent changes, including the introduction of usernames and, in late May, a paid "WhatsApp Plus" subscription tier offering profile customisation, super reactions and story insights, mirroring similar "Plus" plans launched for Instagram and Facebook.
- WhatsApp upgrades CarPlay/Android Auto to support message replies and call history
- iPad users can now sign up without linking to a phone
- New features add music status sharing and in-app PDF viewing/editing
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WhatsApp, owned by Meta, is one of the world's most widely used messaging apps, originally built primarily for smartphones. Over time it has expanded to work on other devices too, such as computers, tablets and cars, so users can access chats without always needing their phone nearby.
The changes described here are part of that ongoing expansion. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are the systems that let phone apps display and be controlled through a car's dashboard screen, so improvements there affect how drivers use WhatsApp safely while on the road. The iPad changes matter because, until now, using WhatsApp on a tablet typically meant linking it to an existing phone account rather than having it work independently.
These updates form part of a steady stream of feature additions Meta has been rolling out to WhatsApp, alongside recent changes such as letting users share a profile via a username instead of a phone number, and the introduction of a paid subscription option. Such updates matter because WhatsApp's huge global user base means even small feature changes can affect how millions of people communicate day to day.
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Originally published by TechCrunch as “WhatsApp adds Apple CarPlay and Android Auto upgrades, iPad sign-ups, and more”.