Right now, there's a native WhatsApp app for laptops and PCs running Windows. It has quite a lot of features and looks pretty good. But apparently, the app may become worse because of a decision by Meta for its future development.
Meta has hinted that the native WhatsApp app for Windows will no longer be available, and it will switch to a web wrapper. That is basically a web app that is packaged to look like a Windows app.
The latest beta of WhatsApp includes some of the major changes that are probably going to come soon to the stable version of the app.
For one, the app will look different from what it did before, and unfortunately (at least for now), it may be working more slowly. It is possible that it also consumes more RAM, and on top of it all, the notifications won't be as good as they are on a native Windows app.
Image Credit - Meta
Luckily, it's not just bad news. The web-based app will also reportedly bring one new feature, Channels. With that version of the app, Channels will be accessible on your Windows PC or laptop. Also, more functionality for Status and Communications is also likely to come with the web-based app.
How do you feel about WhatsApp for Windows switching to a web wrapper?
I'm fine with it — no big deal
14.29%
I prefer native apps — not happy
57.14%
Depends on performance and features
19.05%
I don’t use WhatsApp on PC
9.52%
WhatsApp's native Windows app launched back in 2022. Meanwhile, the web version is likely going to be easier to maintain for Meta, so that's probably one of the reasons why the tech giant has decided to replace it. This would mean one less platform to maintain for bugs.
Meanwhile, it's also likely that the higher RAM usage and somewhat slow performance could be ironed out by the company before the stable release of the web-based app. We'll have to wait and see to know for sure.
Meta has not specified when the change will occur just yet.
Score a Free iPhone 13
Switch to a 3-Month Total 5G Unlimited plan with Total Wireless
Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
A discussion is a place, where people can voice their opinion, no matter if it
is positive, neutral or negative. However, when posting, one must stay true to the topic, and not just share some
random thoughts, which are not directly related to the matter.
Things that are NOT allowed:
Off-topic talk - you must stick to the subject of discussion
Offensive, hate speech - if you want to say something, say it politely
Spam/Advertisements - these posts are deleted
Multiple accounts - one person can have only one account
Impersonations and offensive nicknames - these accounts get banned
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts:
New accounts created within the last 24 hours may experience restrictions on how frequently they can
post or comment.
These limits are in place as a precaution and will automatically lift.
Moderation is done by humans. We try to be as objective as possible and moderate with zero bias. If you think a
post should be moderated - please, report it.
Have a question about the rules or why you have been moderated/limited/banned? Please,
contact us.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed:
To help keep our community safe and free from spam, we apply temporary limits to newly created accounts: