What Is a Linked Device on WhatsApp?

What is a linked device on WhatsApp?

A WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business account lives on one primary phone. A linked device is any companion you connect to that account so you can read and send the same chats from somewhere else: WhatsApp Web in a browser, the Windows or Mac desktop app, a tablet, or a second phone. WhatsApp lets you link up to four devices at a time to your primary phone (WhatsApp Help Center).

When you connect a number to whatsappx.si by scanning a QR code, whatsappx.si becomes one of those linked devices. That is why recent chat history syncs in and your whole team can reply from one shared inbox without passing the phone around.

How does QR linking work?

Linking works like opening WhatsApp Web. On the primary phone, open Settings, then Linked devices, then Link a device, point the phone at the QR code on the screen of the device you want to link, and scan it (WhatsApp Help Center). Since 2023, WhatsApp has also offered linking with a phone number and a one-time code instead of a QR code (WhatsApp blog).

WhatsApp says each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently, so personal messages, media and calls stay end-to-end encrypted (WhatsApp blog).

Does a linked device work when the phone is offline?

Yes. Linked devices work without your phone online, but they log out if the phone is unused for more than 14 days (WhatsApp Help Center). WhatsApp's how-to article puts it the other way around: log in to WhatsApp on the primary phone at least every 14 days to keep linked devices connected (WhatsApp Help Center). For a team: keep the primary phone safe, with WhatsApp installed, and open it now and then.

What are the limits of linked devices?

Source: About linked devices, WhatsApp Help Center.

Because the QR route in whatsappx.si uses this feature, the same caps apply: one phone per number, four linked devices in total (whatsappx.si counts as one), and the 14-day rule. If you need high volume, Meta-approved message templates or automation at scale, connect a number through Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform instead, which whatsappx.si supports with Meta Embedded Signup inside the app.

Can linking a device get a WhatsApp number blocked?

Linking a device is a standard WhatsApp feature. What WhatsApp acts against is how an account behaves. Its terms prohibit bulk messaging and auto-messaging (WhatsApp Terms of Service), and WhatsApp states that its products are not intended for bulk or automated messaging (WhatsApp Help Center). Linking an account to unofficial versions of WhatsApp also violates the terms and can lead to temporary or permanent bans, or to restrictions that include the ability to link devices (WhatsApp Help Center). The Business Messaging Policy adds that you may contact people only if they gave you their number and opted in, and that opt-outs must be honored (WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy).

To keep a linked number healthy:

• New number? Wait first. If you created a brand-new WhatsApp number, use it normally on the phone for 15–20 days before you connect it to whatsappx.si.
• Small batches only. Send 5–10 messages at a time, never bulk blasts. Let replies come in between sends.
• Opt-in only. Message people who agreed to hear from you, and stop when someone asks you to.
• Reply, don't broadcast. Focus on two-way conversations with people who contacted you or opted in, not one-way messages to strangers.

How does whatsappx.si use linked devices?

Connecting by QR code is the fastest way to start: scan once from the phone, and the number appears in your shared inbox with recent chats synced in. Teammates can then open, assign and reply to chats at the same time, and you can set up keyword-triggered auto-replies that you switch on or off. AI-written replies to customers are coming soon and are not available yet. Meta's official WhatsApp Business Platform is the second way to connect when you need high volume, templates or automation at scale.

The same rules apply here as anywhere else: if the number is new, use it normally on the phone for 15–20 days before you link it, and send in small batches. whatsappx.si is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta, and any restriction WhatsApp places on a connected number is handled between you and Meta.