Rumors of WhatsApp coming to iPad have been doing the rounds for years. Recently, it was reported that the popular messaging app is working on a native iPad app. Will Cathcart, head of WhatsApp, has added credence to the rumors by suggesting that it’s possible that a native app could be released in the future.

During an interview with The Verge, Cathcart said that “people have wanted an iPad app for a long time. We’d love to do it.” Although the WhatsApp chief didn’t delve into specifics such as a release date, the statement is reassuring to those yearning for a native iPad app. He added that the engineers at WhatsApp have recently done a lot of work on bringing multi-device support. This has laid the groundwork for building a native app for tablets as well.

We did a lot of work on the technology for supporting multiple devices. Our web and our desktop apps now have that. If I have multi-device on, I can turn my phone off or lose my network connection and still get messages on my desktop. That would be really important for a tablet app, to be able to use the app even if your phone isn’t on. So the underlying technology is there.

However, the WhatsApp head has been promising the same since June last year. In an interview with WABetaInfo, he confirmed that WhatsApp is coming soon to the iPad, and everyone has been waiting ever since.

Currently, you have to rely on the web version of WhatsApp to access it on the iPad. However, this workaround is fraught with issues such as slow loading times and lack of video/voice call support. Now that multi-device support has been rolled out, a native WhatsApp app for iPad could be on the horizon.