Everything you need to know about using WhatsApp on an Apple smartwatch.
Receiving WhatsApp notifications on your Apple Watch is incredibly handy. If you adjust them appropriately, you can stay connected and manage incoming messages without needing to interact with your iPhone.
However, there is no official WhatsApp integration available for the Apple Watch. Unlike Google’s Wear OS platform, which allows users to view and respond directly from the device, with Apple’s smartwatch, you can only reply to incoming notifications.
However, there are workarounds you can use, and we will explain them in detail in this guide.
With WhatsApp on Apple Watch, you can:
- Read notifications
- Reply to messages
However, you cannot (as standard):
- Browse received messages
- Initiate a conversation with a contact
- See multimedia, such as pictures or videos
Discover how to use WhatsApp on the Apple Watch by following our guide below, where we’ll outline the essential steps for setting up WhatsApp notifications and a clever workaround that will enable you to send messages from your wrist.
- 50 Apple Watch features, tips, and tricks
- The Apple Watch apps we actually use
- Our favorite third-party bands for the Apple Watch
Get WhatsApp notifications on Apple Watch
If you’re using standard, official channels, you can receive notifications and reply directly from the Apple Watch. However, ensure notifications are enabled if you want them to mirror your iPhone. To do so:
1. On your iPhone, go to the Watch app.
2. From the My Watch tab, tap ‘Notifications’.
3. Scroll down to WhatsApp and ensure the switch is turned green. You’ll see the option to mirror iPhone alerts to bring those WhatsApp alerts to your wrist.
Once notifications are turned on, you’ll notice that your wrist buzzes whenever a message comes in.
Reply to WhatsApp messages from your Apple Watch
You can also send messages on WhatsApp using the Apple Watch, and this has become much easier thanks to the QWERTY keyboard introduced a few generations ago.
You can also choose from a list of simple replies, such as ‘Hello’, ‘What’s up?’, ‘OK’, or ‘On my way.’ Alternatively, why not record a custom reply using voice recognition and send it back to the recipient?
If that’s not enough, as we say, typing a complete response is also possible on the keyboard. It’s small but quite intuitive.
How to reply to a WhatsApp message
1. Go to the received WhatsApp message notification on the Apple Watch.
2. Tap Reply.
3. Scroll down and choose one of the custom responses.
4. To craft your reply, you can hit the microphone and record your message.
Workaround: Send WhatsApp messages from Apple Watch
At the beginning of this article, we mentioned that (as standard) you couldn’t send WhatsApp messages from your Apple Watch. However, there is a workaround.
The tip came from Fabian Heuwieser, who specializes in using Apple Shortcuts. He has created a shortcut that allows you to send a WhatsApp message from the watch, even when you’re using LTE.
Get started by heading to his blog and downloading the pre-written Shortcut, which will automatically be added to your Apple Watch.
There are two shortcuts: one that opens your contacts (which we found difficult for selecting a recipient) and another that lets you pre-set some favorites. We explain how below.
To set up the WhatsApp Apple Watch Shortcuts:
1. Download the Shortcuts using the link above.
2. Head to the Shortcuts app on your iPhone.
3. Choose the Template option and tap the button to edit.
4. Rename the first contact.
5. Now scroll down below to the entry. It will say “Send [Text] to [X]. Tap this last entry.
6. Choose a contact. Repeat for other entries.
To send a WhatsApp message:
1. Head to the Shortcuts app.
2. Run the Shortcut.
3. Choose a contact.
4. Write your message (we prefer to use Siri in this instance).
5. Press send.
WhatsApp alternative app for Apple Watch
As noted, no official WhatsApp app is available for the Apple Watch. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t third-party alternatives to explore in the Apple Watch App Store.
It’s important to recognize that numerous options are available, both free and paid, making it challenging to determine which third-party WhatsApp solutions offer the most effective and dependable full experience.
In our experience, WatchChat 2 (which costs $2.99/£2.99) is probably the best – at least for now.
It lets you view and send messages in your chats, use dictation and Scribble, watch videos, and view stickers. It’s also fairly simple to get started.
Here’s how:
1. Go to the Watch app on the iPhone and tap on the App Store.
2. In the search box, type ‘WatchChat 2’, then download the app to your Apple Watch.
3. Once downloaded, open the app on your Apple Watch.
4. Then, head to WhatsApp on your iPhone, before going to Settings > WhatsApp Web > Scan QR code.
5. Scan the QR code that appears on the Apple Watch.
