Pairing takes a QR code scan from the phone, or the phone number. Linked devices then work without the phone being online, although they are logged out if the phone stays unused for more than 14 days. The desktop apps for Windows and macOS follow the same model.
For a small business on the WhatsApp Business App, WhatsApp Web is often the daily driver: faster typing, easy copy-paste of order details, and quick replies available from the keyboard.
Its limits appear with team scale: one account, up to four linked devices at a time, no assignment, notes, or analytics, and no way to know who answered what. Support teams that outgrow it move to an API-based shared inbox.
