The WhatsApp application for Windows is now available in the Microsoft application store . In this way, the messaging and video calling app increases its diffusion and its multiplatform characteristics. First we were able to test WhatsApp Web, the version of the application to use in any browser. In 2016 WhatsApp launched a desktop app for Windows and Mac, which could be downloaded from its website. Now we finally have WhatsApp Desktop in the Microsoft Store, just a click away.
WhatsApp Desktop, few changes compared to what we already had
The idea of launching a desktop version of WhatsApp was widely celebrated. We were finally going to be able to work with our computer and be attentive to conversations without having to take our hands off the keyboard to pick up the phone over and over again. However, we couldn't forget about the phone so happily either. The app that launched in 2016 was actually a web app. In other words, it was like running WhatsApp Web in a Firefox or Chrome tab, but through an application with an embedded browser. Therefore, the mobile data connection was still necessary for that to work.
If you already used the desktop version that you downloaded from the official WhatsApp website, you won't notice a big difference. Arguably, the Microsoft Store app is almost the same . Do not leave your mobile very far and make sure it is connected to the WiFi, because you will need to continue chatting from the PC. We do not know if WhatsApp is working on a native application for Windows 10, but it is what many of us would like. In other words, a program that works independently and without the need for mobile data. Something like Telegram Desktop.
How to download and install WhatsApp for Windows
In case you don't know the previous desktop version, you may want to try WhatsApp Desktop and judge for yourself.
- Downloading from the Microsoft Store is free.
- Once you have installed and launched the app, a QR code will appear.
- From your mobile, open the Settings (the icon with the three dots, top right) and select WhatsApp Web.
- Scan the QR code with the camera, and voila. If you were using WhatsApp Web, the application will notify you to close the open session before opening a new one.
One of the main reasons to install WhatsApp Desktop is to have your conversations clearly localized. Those of us who make the most of our browsers by opening an infinite number of tabs, end up going crazy to find the one on WhatsApp Web, seething with notifications. In this sense, WhatsApp Desktop is a comforting shortcut. It is always convenient to compartmentalize tasks. With a simple glance, we know if there is any chat waiting for our intervention.
On the other hand, the WhatsApp for Windows interface has been subtly improved. It is more fluid and the font is more readable. It should be remembered that the 2016 app was not well understood with the configuration of some screens.
WhatsApp Desktop allows you to do everything that the web version that we know does. We can share files using the clip icon, view the WhatsApp statuses of our contacts, edit our profile, activate or deactivate chat notifications, search and send GIFs through Giphy, etc. We have the emoji search engine, so useful when we have an emoji in the head but we cannot locate it among so many icons. There is also access to the multimedia files of the groups, to download photos and videos to the computer.
Same as WhatsApp Web, but faster
One aspect to highlight is that its stability is the same as that of WhatsApp Web , since it is a desktop port. This means that sometimes it costs a bit to synchronize with the phone, it does not matter if we use mobile data or the WiFi connection. More than once we will see the famous message "Your phone is not connected."
Another thing we miss is that it cannot be placed in the background on the taskbar. Since they have made an app, they could have incorporated the option to insert themselves next to the Windows clock. Similarly, it would have been great if we could divert the notifications to the action center . You know, that speech bubble icon at the far right of the taskbar.
And hopefully you go well from memory. The application weighs almost 400 MB and takes itself around 300 MB of RAM. It is the toll for having your own browser to run the web version. Each one must assess whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, because such consumption of RAM invites us to continue with the Firefox tab dedicated to WhatsApp Web. Of course, Desktop starts and loads much faster.
Meanwhile, we will continue to wait for a UWP ( Universal Windows Platform ) app . Ideally an independent and native WhatsApp program for Windows 10 . It is a hassle to depend on the mobile phone to continue our chats on the computer. In short, we can say that WhatsApp Desktop is to WhatsApp Web what Max Power was to Homer Simpson: the same, but faster.