WhatsApp has announced the testing of a new feature that will enable users to send and receive messages from other people without using their smartphones and even when the phones are switched off.

The makers have also confirmed that this feature will be released as a beta version and it will be circulated only to a small group of users. Despite support for multiple devices, end-to-end encryption will be maintained, as per the company's statement. WhatsApp chief Will Cathcart made the announcement through his official social media handle. His tweet read, "Very excited to be launching a beta of our new multi-device capability for WhatsApp. Now you can use our desktop or web experiences even when your phone isn't active and connected to the internet. All secured with end-to-end encryption."

"We've been working on this for a long time. Until now, @WhatsApp has only been available on one device at a time. And desktop and web support only worked by mirroring off your phone - which meant your phone had to be on and have an active internet connection. Our multi-device capability immediately makes the experience better for people who use desktop/web and Portal. And it also will make it possible to add support for more kinds of devices over time," Cathcart added.