Dances with Wolves? WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps, and the company offers it on many different platforms, including Windows.
Up until now, WhatsApp on Windows was based on the Electron framework.
But no more!
WhatsApp Desktop is now a native app on Windows, meaning this new version should not only look and feel familiar, it should also deliver better performance, a cleaner interface, and all the usual Windows bells and whistles.
As an added bonus, the app can now send and receive messages even when a user’s phone is offline. It can connect to four devices without needing an online phone.
This is a capability that has been present on some other platforms already.
While Electron’s primary advantage is that developers can leverage web technologies, it also results in relatively poor performance, consistency, and overall usage—the Skype app is the prime example of a lackluster experience.
However, it does result in lesser development effort, as there is no need to rebuild the web app from scratch to cater to desktop users, which is why companies use it. Nevertheless, there was no better time than now to go native.
And that’s exactly what Facebook has done.
The official client just picked up a big update on Windows that swaps it from the previous web-based app to a native software built for the operating system. The company has been testing this new application in beta for a long time, since last year, as a matter of fact.
But the new version is now generally available for everyone.
WhatsApp quietly announced the release in a support article, highlighting that the WhatsApp UWP app for Windows is now live. And while the company does not specifically mention UWP, it does refer to native technologies being used to build the redesigned app.
All the changes in this new release are outlined on a FAQ page.
The firm also confirmed that a native macOS app is in development, too, and those who are interested in it can sign up for the beta.
The Windows app is now available as a standalone app on the Microsoft Store. You can download it right now by clicking the link below.
Download: WhatsApp