On Tuesday, a new version of WhatsApp for Windows was released. This time, the app has been completely rewritten using native Windows technologies instead of the old web-based Electron technology. This should make the app run faster all in all.
What’s new?
The latest version of WhatsApp for Windows was available in beta form for a while and is now open to everyone. According to a blog post by WhatsApp (via The Verge), the new app is meant to serve as a replacement for WhatsApp Desktop. The app is now more trustworthy and faster because it runs natively.
Furthermore, compared to its predecessor, the native WhatsApp app has some other benefits. One example is the ability to send and receive text messages regardless of whether the user’s phone is connected to the internet or not. Additionally, the user interface has been revamped to be more streamlined and uniform with Windows.
Mac users to get a new WhatsApp app
The WhatsApp app for macOS should get a similar update shortly. With the introduction of the first public beta of its new Mac app last month, WhatsApp demonstrated the simplicity with which iOS apps can be ported to macOS using Catalyst technology.
The new software substantially borrows the design and functionality of WhatsApp for iOS, but it does so by making use of the iOS platform’s native application programming interfaces (APIs) rather than a web-based technology.
This new macOS software is more efficient overall and extends battery life by using fewer resources. The New WhatsApp beta for macOS works offline like Windows.
A beta version of the app for iPadOS has not yet been made available, although WhatsApp has intentions to develop an iPad version (which is now entirely doable with the Catalyst version).
