As of 2022, a WhatsApp account could have up to 4 linked devices. These are secondary devices—such as WhatsApp Web sessions, desktop computers or supported tablets—that connect to a primary phone account.
WhatsApp's multi-device system changed the older model in which the phone had to remain connected to the internet for linked sessions to work. Multi-device support entered testing in 2021 and became broadly integrated in 2022. Each linked device can communicate with WhatsApp independently while messages remain protected by end-to-end encryption.
The number refers to linked companion devices, not the primary phone itself. That distinction causes a common mix-up: someone may describe the setup as five devices total if counting the main phone plus four linked devices. Later updates also enabled companion-phone features, so current limits and device types should not automatically be projected backward onto the 2022 figure.