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WhatsApp launches the Official Desktop App for Windows and Mac

by Felix Omondi
WhatsApp launches the Official Desktop App for Windows and Mac

Last week we ran an article about rumors doing round that WhatsApp was working on launching native apps for Windows and Mac computers. Well, the rumors were true. WhatsApp has just launched its official desktop app.

Let’s start with the good news! The WhatsApp native standalone desktop app comes with the benefit of users using keyboard shortcuts and getting native desktop notifications. Of course, it goes without saying that typing on a computer’s keyboard should be easier and faster for most people compared to typing on the small touchscreen devices.

Now to some bad news! The desktop app is more or less similar to the WhatsApp Web you use on your browser. Yes. That also means you will still need to have your smartphone on, connected to the internet and the app running on the phone.

You first need to scan the QR code on the desktop app using the WhatsApp app running on your smartphone. Your phone must remain connected to the internet for as long as you will be using the desktop app. So essentially, WhatsApp just turned WhatsApp Web into a standalone desktop app.

The desktop app is available for computers running Windows 8 and higher versions while on Mac OS X, it is available on Mac OS 10.9 and higher. To download the WhatsApp official desktop app for Windows and Mac, click here.

Using WhatsApp on your computer will save you in some ways; faster typing on full computer keyboard, more storage space for multimedia files, and most importantly you do not have to keep moving from your computer to your smartphone.

The last point is imperative to people who spend a significant amount of time sited in front of their computers. There is nothing as exhausting as having to move your hands from your computer’s keyboard to your smartphone to check and reply to messages, and going back to your computer. Then repeat that process over and over as you keep responding to incoming messages.

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