Good news for all Apple Watch users: WhatsApp is now officially available on your Apple Watch. After years of waiting for a standalone app, Meta has finally responded to the wishes of millions of users. It means you can do much more with WhatsApp on your wrist – without having to take your iPhone out of your pocket.
Although WhatsApp has been sending notifications to the Apple Watch for years, it has always been limited to basic notifications and quick replies. That is now fundamentally changing. Meta has released a fully native app that allows you to manage all your WhatsApp chats directly on your Apple Watch.
Finally: a real WhatsApp app for your wrist
The app has been available since November 3, 2025 and can be downloaded via the App Store on your Apple Watch or via the Watch app on your iPhone. All you have to do is update the current WhatsApp to version 25.32.77 or newer.
The addition of a watchOS app is an important step for Apple Watch users, because WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, and for years there wasn’t a proper watchOS version available.
Install WhatsApp for Apple Watch
- Update the Apple Watch on your iPhone to the latest version
- Then open the Watch app on your iPhone
- Go to ‘My Watch’
- Scroll down to ‘WhatsApp’
- Tap ‘Install’
Then open WhatsApp on your iPhone and your Apple Watch. Then iOS and watchOS will sync the chats and get everything ready to use the app on your Apple Watch.
You can now do this with WhatsApp on your Apple Watch
Just like on the iPhone, everything remains secured with end-to-end encryption, guaranteeing your privacy. Plus, you can view, write, and respond to messages in different ways.
- Full message view – From now on you can read entire WhatsApp messages on your Apple Watch, including longer messages. This works much better than the limited notifications of before.
- Write messages – You can type and send new messages directly from your watch. The Dutch keyboard makes typing on the small screen much easier.
- Voice messages – You can record and send voice messages, just like on your iPhone. Listening to incoming voice messages also works.
- Emoji reactions – Do you want to respond quickly to a message? With emoji reactions you can do this with one tap – ideal on the small screen of the Apple Watch. Place your finger on the message to activate it.
- Chat history – You’ll see more chat history when you open a conversation, so it’s easier to find previously sent messages.
- Call notifications – You can see who is calling, even without taking out your iPhone. Perfect when you’re running or in a meeting.
Support WhatsApp for Apple Watch
The app works on Apple Watch Series 4 and newer with watchOS 10 or later. The Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra models can also use WhatsApp on their smart watch.
No standalone app yet
However, there is one important limitation you should know about: WhatsApp on Apple Watch is not a standalone app. This means that your iPhone must be nearby to use the app. So you always need an active connection to your iPhone.
This has both advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that you don’t have to do any complicated pairing – it works immediately once you have paired your Apple Watch and iPhone. But the downside? For example, if you go running without your iPhone, WhatsApp on your Apple Watch will not work. This also applies to Apple Watch with Cellular – the app will not automatically switch to cellular.
Many users would like WhatsApp to also work completely standalone, so you can use it without an iPhone nearby. This is most likely something for future updates.