WhatsApp is finally getting a native desktop app

• Tyler Lee
• 2 years ago

WhatsApp has been available for computers for a while now. It was initially only available for computers via a web interface, but it later got its own desktop app, but now WhatsApp has announced that there will finally be a native app that is currently available for Windows and will come to macOS soon.

For those wondering what’s the difference, the previous app that was available on desktop was based on Electron. It was essentially a wrapper for the web app, meaning that the only real advantage over the web version was that you wouldn’t have to keep your browser open, but otherwise it’s more or less identical.

With this native app, it has been rebuilt and optimized for Windows (and soon macOS). This should in theory offer up a better and faster experience, and once you’ve logged in, you won’t have to rely on your phone anymore. This means that if your phone is turned off, you can still communicate via the desktop app.

Visually speaking, the app looks more or less the same as the previous app and the web app. Functionally it will also be identical so apart from it being more optimized under the hood, the overall experience should still be the same. The app can be download from the Microsoft Store so if you’re a frequent WhatsApp user, this might be worth checking out.

Source: WhatsApp