WhatsApp Lands on Apple Watch with Messaging, Voice Notes, and Reactions

Published November 6, 2025

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WhatsApp arrives on Apple Watch: read, reply, send voice notes, and react with emojis. Calls not yet supported. Works on watchOS 10+ (Series 4+).

image: envato/jennimareephoto

Your wrist just got a little more social.

WhatsApp rolled out to Apple Watch this week, bringing messaging, voice notes, and quick reactions to the smallest screen yet. While you can’t take calls directly on the Watch just yet, they’ll seamlessly hand off to your iPhone.

Users will be able to read and respond to messages on their Apple Watch and view call notifications. Voice messages and quick emoji reactions are also available, allowing users to respond in their preferred format.

Expanding beyond phones and tablets

It has been a long-awaited launch, part of Meta’s shift from mobile-first and desktop to a wider range of devices. WhatsApp also arrived on iPad in May, with video calls for up to 32 people.

“This is just the start of making WhatsApp on your Apple Watch an even better experience,” said WhatsApp in a blog post. “We look forward to delivering even more useful functionality for people with Apple Watch in the future.”

WhatsApp was keen to mention in the launch post that personal messages and calls remain private with end-to-end encryption, a fact it definitely wants to emphasize after its former security chief sued it for alleged privacy risks.

WhatsApp will be available on Apple Watches running watchOS 10 or later. Apple recently aligned its version numbers across all operating systems, so for those with an Apple Watch, anything from Series 4 onwards can download WhatsApp.

A long time coming for Apple Watch

As the world’s most popular messaging service, it is surprising it has taken this long for WhatsApp to arrive on the Apple Watch. Over three billion people use WhatsApp, but it is not as popular in the United States as it is in other regions, which is the main market for the Apple Watch. That is changing slowly, however, with more US users shifting from iMessages to WhatsApp.

Meta has not been focused on the platform at all, with Facebook Messenger also not available on it. Previously, the Facebook operator had a one-size-fits-all approach to mobile development, with very few changes regardless of phone or tablet requirements.

Apple may not have been too concerned about WhatsApp’s lack of contribution, given that it receives more attention from its own messaging service, iMessage. Other operators, such as Snapchat and Signal, recently launched Apple Watch apps.

One thing missing from the WhatsApp announcement, which has accompanied almost every Meta announcement over the past 12 months, is AI. WhatsApp has introduced new AI features, including predictive replies and its ‘Ask Meta AI’ chatbot, over the past few months.

Apple has signaled that AI is the next big thing for the Apple Watch, with Apple Intelligence enabling users to translate signs in foreign languages and automatically prompt addresses for contacts when they are seen in the real world.

In other Apple news: Bloomberg reports that the tech giant is prepping to release a low-cost Mac to lure Windows and Chromebook buyers.

David Curry

David is a tech journalist and analyst with over a decade’s experience writing for established outlets. He has covered the full spectrum of the tech landscape—mobiles, apps, AI, and everything in-between—delivering news, features, and data-led stories.