GoKawiilWhatsApp is continuing to distance itself from previous requirements around phone numbers. Users can now sign up for an account directly on an iPad with a username rather than linking it with your digits. You'll need a phone number only in order to receive a one-time passcode for registration, but the iPad account won't be tied to your phone number as a companion device. Usernames just became an option for WhatsApp a few weeks ago.
Usernames are pretty commonplace for social media, but WhatsApp has been notoriously slow-moving in some respects. For instance, while rival messengers like Telegram have long been available on almost every platform, WhatsApp only released an official iPad app last year, 15 years after Apple debuted its tablet line.
The Meta-owned business added a few other quality of life improvements today. Access more of WhatsApp while you're on the go with a revamped experience via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay interfaces. The previously voice-focused experience now has an interface where you can access your call history, favorites, chats and read unread messages from your car screen.
Elsewhere in today's refresh there's now in-app access to viewing and editing PDFs thanks to a tie-in with Adobe Acrobat. Finally, users pining for the days of AIM can now set songs from Apple Music or Spotify as their WhatsApp status.
Correction, July 22, 2026, 9:32AM ET: This article previously stated that you could sign up entirely without a phone number, which is incorrect. Users still need to use a phone number during initial registration.