WhatsApp has just announced a ‘big upgrade’ to its popular messaging app, and it’s good news if you own an Apple Watch. After years of waiting, the Meta-owned chat firm is finally launching a dedicated application for Apple’s suite of wearables such as the latest Watch SE and Series 11. WhatsApp says that the update will offer a “new experience” that will help you “stay on top of your chats without needing to pull out your iPhone”.

Apple Watch users have long been able to see message snippets and reply via their wrist, but this upgrade takes things up a notch.

WhatsApp has added a swathe of requested features, including getting call notifications and seeing entire messages no matter how long they are.

Quick replies via emojis have also been added to the Watch, which means you can tap a thumbs up or add a laugh without needing to type.

Here is the full list of new features on Apple Watch

• Call notifications: You can see who’s calling without needing to look at your iPhone.

• Full messages: You can read full WhatsApp messages on Apple Watch — even long messages are visible directly from your wrist.

• Voice messages: You can now record and send voice messages.

• React to messages: We’ve added the ability to send quick emoji reactions to messages you receive.

ª A great media experience: You’ll see clear images and stickers on your Apple Watch.

• Chat history: You can see more of your chat history on screen when reading messages.

“This is just the start of making WhatsApp on your Apple Watch an even better experience,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

“As always, your personal messages and calls remain private with end-to-end encryption. We look forward to delivering even more useful functionality for people with Apple Watch in the future.”

The only thing to note about this release is that the new WhatsApp Apple Watch app requires an Apple Watch Series 4 or later, running watchOS 10 or later.

Express.co.uk has checked, and it doesn’t seem to be available in the App Store just yet, but we will update this article as soon as the app goes live.