Meta is reportedly phasing out its native WhatsApp Windows application, replacing it with a web-wrapper version. This strategic shift comes just months after the introduction of a native iPad app. The latest beta version of WhatsApp for Windows showcases these significant modifications, with Meta stating they have “updated how WhatsApp beta looks and works.”
The core of this transformation involves transitioning from a native Windows and WinUI application to packaging the WhatsApp web version within a web view. This structural change impacts the app’s visual appearance, notification functionality, and simplifies the settings user interface. The beta app also integrates WhatsApp Channels and enhanced functionalities for Status and Communities features.
Meta is leveraging Microsoft’s Edge WebView2 technology for this new implementation, which facilitates the packaging of their web-based WhatsApp into a desktop application. This approach streamlines maintenance by allowing Meta to manage a single codebase, eliminating the need to concurrently support a native Windows application.
For regular WhatsApp users on Windows, this change may be a setback. The web-based application is expected to deviate from the cohesive aesthetic of Windows 11 and consume more RAM compared to its native predecessor. This contrasts with WhatsApp’s previous statements, which highlighted that native versions of their Windows and Mac applications “provide increased performance and reliability, more ways to collaborate, and features to improve your productivity.” WhatsApp launched as a native Windows app a few years ago, notably allowing users to operate it without direct phone synchronization.
