WhatsApp Launches Desktop App For Windows And Mac

According to the Facebook-owned company the new desktop version will offer all the same features and shortcuts, which we have already seen on WhatsApp for Web, the only difference is that the new app will not depend on the mobile version of the communication platform.

It also gets live notifications, when a new message from a friend lands in the message list.

“Today we’re introducing a desktop app so you have a new way to stay in touch anytime and anywhere – whether on your phone or computer at home or work. Like WhatsApp Web, our desktop app is simply an extension of your phone: the app mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device,” the company said in a blogpost.

To download the app, visit web.whatsapp.com from a desktop browser. You need to scan the QR code displayed on the screen with your phone before you’re let through. You can look for WhatsApp Web menu under Settings. It does not allow separate sign-up, yet.

That means you still need to have your phone around to log onto the desktop app. Your phone should also have active Internet connection at all times for the app to work on the desktop.

Till now, there were unofficial methods developed by third-party apps, such as Bluestacks, which tried to replicate the Whatsapp on your phone to the desktop. But they weren’t officially supported by the instant messenger, and it was always a risk giving access to your data to such unofficial apps.

WhatsApp for the desktop is available for PCs running Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, and for the Apple Mac OS X 10.9 and later versions.