At the tail end of 2023, WhatsApp updated its Android app with a very useful feature that allows for two WhatsApp accounts to be logged in at the same time via the app on one phone. It works if you are using two SIM cards with dual-SIM or have two numbers connected over a combination of physical SIM and eSIM.

Previously the only way to have two versions of WhatsApp running on one phone was to log one of the numbers into WhatsApp Business, which wasn’t ideal if your second line was also a personal account. It was messy.

Though this Android update to WhatsApp has been around for more than a year, iPhone users have been left out in the cold, quietly mourning the fact they can only message their beloved from one measly SIM.

That now looks like it is about to change. According to WABetaInfo, a new test version of WhatsApp for iOS includes the ability to “add and manage multiple accounts within the app”. This update is available for anyone signed up to the WhatsApp iOS beta that delivers updates early so WhatsApp can see if there are any bugs or issues before pushing it out to the wider public.

“This feature allows users to log into WhatsApp through different accounts within the same app, providing a convenient way to manage personal, professional, or other accounts”, WABetaInfo reports.

It makes sense that WhatsApp would bring multiple account login to iPhone after having it come to Android, but WhatsApp has usually moved glacially with convenient updates. For years it was impossible to move your chats from an iPhone to a new Android phone and vice versa, meaning you lost all your chats if you switched platforms.

It’s also only recently been possible to link your account to up to four other devices to access your chats on your laptop or another phone. This is because WhatsApp accounts are tied to your phone number, unlike rival message apps such as Telegram or Facebook Messenger - the latter also owned by WhatsApp’s parent company Meta.

As iPhones do not have dual-SIM slots, this feature will only work in the UK if you have at least one eSIM number. The feature will be handy if you have, say, your personal SIM in your phone but get a new number via eSIM for work. You’ll be able to use two WhatsApp accounts, each connected to the correct number, and access them both in the same app.

“Notifications, chats, backups, and settings will remain distinct for each account, as each account will operate independently within the app”, WABetaInfo said, adding this feature is “under development”, with no exact timeline on when iPhone users will finally be able to access it.

Whenever it arrvies, it'll certainly make life much easier. Carrying around two separate smartphones just to use WhatsApp on two different numbers was hardly ideal. It's only a shame WhatsApp has taken this long to offer the update to iPhone owners.