Use WhatsApp on your Apple Watch? It’s got a whole lot better thanks to massive update

Longer messages, voice notes, improved media and more await in this WhatsApp update

By John McCann Published November 4, 2025

The WhatsApp app on Apple Watch — Meta

What’s happened? A major update has been announced for WhatsApp‘s Apple Watch app, bringing a host of new features to your wrist. The WhatsApp app for Apple Watch already allowed you to read and respond to messages, but there’s now a bunch more functionality.

Call notifications: see who’s calling you on WhatsApp without needing to look at your iPhone.
Full messages: For the first time, read full WhatsApp messages on Apple Watch, even long messages.
Voice messages: You can now record and send voice messages directly on you wrist.
React to messages: Send quick emoji reactions to messages you receive.
Improved media: Images and stickers will now be clearer when viewed on your Apple Watch.
Chat history: See more of your chat history on screen when reading messages.

This is important because: Apple Watch owners have been dealing with a limited WhatsApp experience on their wearable for some time now, so the update from parent company Meta will be welcome for those who frequently use the messaging platform.

Meta has been improving WhatsApp experiences across Apple devices this year, with a standalone iPad app arriving a few months ago.
This shows a commitment from Meta to improve the WhatsApp experience across various platforms, and answering user’s requests for features and updates.
WhatsApp for Apple Watch is now able to challenge Apple’s own Messages app more closely, which could help tempt some users to make the switch.

Recommended Videos

Why should I care? If you’re an Apple Watch owner who regularly uses WhatsApp on their iPhone, the app has just got a lot more powerful on your wrist-worn wearable.

It means you won’t have to reach for your iPhone so often, with more response options available on the watch.

Okay, so what’s next? The update for the Apple Watch app starts rolling out gradually from today, November 4 2025. It could take several days (or longer) to hit all users around the world.

You’ll need to be wearing an Apple Watch 4 or later to take advantage of the new features.

Former Managing Editor

John has been a consumer technology & automotive journalist for over a decade.

Topics

Computing

Qualcomm is set to ratchet up chip prices in September, and your next gadget upgrade could bear the brunt

The price hike could touch every Snapdragon-powered device category.

The new Qualcomm Snadragon 8 Elite Gen 5

I want you to sit with this for a second. Qualcomm, the company whose Snapdragon chips sit inside your Android phone and tablet, your Windows laptop, your Meta smart glasses, your Galaxy Watch, and your wireless earbuds, reportedly sent a letter to every major customer telling them prices are going up by double digits.

The price hike will be in effect from September 1, 2026, a recent Bloomberg report claims. Essentially, all the companies placing their chip orders after that will pay a higher price.

Wearables

Slacked off all summer? Here are 3 fitness trackers that’ll help you stay accountable as you head back to school

Three trackers, three price points, three totally different approaches to keeping you honest about your own goals.

A person wearing the Whoop 5.0.

Summer break did what it usually does. Your sleep schedule drifted, workouts happened less often than you'd hoped, and by the time August rolled around, you were feeling it. You've got a plan to get back on track once the school year starts and your days have more structure, but you know how that usually goes. The first two weeks are solid, then the routine quietly slips.

A fitness tracker won't get you off your couch. What it will do is put a number in front of you every day, one that makes it obvious whether you stuck to your goal or slacked off. That small bit of visibility is often the difference between meaning to work out and actually doing it. Back-to-school season is a good time to buy in, since you're already resetting more than one part of your routine, and the overlap makes the habit more likely to stick. To keep the odds in your favor, here are three fitness trackers that can help you stay accountable and actually hit your goals.

Wearables

Galaxy Watch 9 vs. Watch Series 11: Has Apple finally met its smartwatch match?

From AI-powered health coaching to outdoor fitness tracking, here's how Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 stacks up against Apple's Watch Series 11.

Wristwatch, Arm, Body Part

These days, the real battleground between smartwatches is who can turn a wrist-worn, sensor-loaded device into something that resembles a personal fitness trainer, and this year's crop of flagship wearables takes that fight more seriously than ever.

Samsung just refreshed its mainstream Galaxy Watch line with a new silicon and a batch of clinically-backed health tools, landing squarely on Apple's home turf of preventive wellness tracking. Apple, for its part, has spent the better part of a year letting its Series 11 sit as the reigning pick for anyone inside its ecosystem, propped up by a software catalog few rivals match feature-for-feature.