WhatsApp has a billion users to please and the absence of any desktop app was something that many were concerned about. It’s been years since its competitors like Viber, Telegram and WeChat launched their desktop apps. It wasn’t a deal breaker (hence, the billion users), but it was something that most of us missed.
Joining the mobile portfolio of apps are a couple of desktops, namely for Windows and Mac OS. The apps aren’t much different from what’s being offered on WhatsApp Web, which was launched in January 2015. The new apps mirror chats from the mobile app and allows the users to respond to messages via text, voice, video, photos and documents.
Just like the web app, the desktop apps do not work if the phone runs out of juice or loses its internet connection. It’s not ideal, but won’t be a problem if the phone and desktop/laptop are connected to the same WiFi network.
Rumors had it that the desktop apps will bring voice calling functionality, something which has been lacking in the web app but is available on most mobile apps. These turned out to be false and the desktop app offers pretty much exactly what the web app does. To be honest, we wonder why the company even developed apps which are copies of the web app. You could simply create an application out of the tab in any browser and it’d serve the same function.
Regardless, it’s good news for many. The apps can be downloaded from here. Any PC running Windows 8, Mac OS 10.9 or later versions can install the app. Once installed, you will be presented with a QR code which needs to be scanned using the phone (by choosing WhatsApp Web from the settings menu on the main WhatsApp screen on smartphones) to login. As soon as the QR code is scanned, you can enjoy encrypted WhatsApp messaging on your PC.