After years of ignoring user requests, and falling behind in features compared to other messaging apps, WhatsApp is slowly reawakening from its user-base-gloat slumber. Last night, the messaging behemoth announced a new feature that may help to keep its users around for a lot longer.
The debut of WhatsApp Web was something that should have arrived a long time ago. The funny thing is, even with Facebook in the picture (with its money and its support), I still find that WhatsApp’s new web service is a bit of a disappointment. More on that later but first, lets get this working on your PC shall we?
Before you get started, please note that WhatsApp Web only works with the Chrome Browser for now (with more coming soon in the future), and a few mobile platforms, namely, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia S60, BlackBerry, and BB10. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait a little longer if you’re on iOS and that’s because of the limitations imposed by Apple.
Now, if you’re ready to take the web service out for a spin, start with the update of the app first. The WhatsApp Web option is only available in the new version of the mobile app. Please follow the instructions below to proceed:
- While waiting for the app to update, head on to https://web.whatsapp.com/ on you Chrome Browser. You will be presented with a page that shows a unique QR code as well as instructions on how to use them, on each of the supported mobile platforms. The QR code will expire after a while and users will need to click on the provided reload button to generate a new one.
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- Launch the updated WhatsApp app and on Android, proceed to click on the Menu button and then on the WhatsApp Web option.
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- This will load up a camera to scan the code and a brief instruction. Dismiss the instruction and use the camera to frame the code within the provided space.
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- Once the code is recognised, your WhatsApp chat window and all its individual content will load onto your browser.
New messages appear instantly on WhatsApp Web and does does not require a refresh. You can perform actions such as sending photos or videos (limited to 16 MB file size for either), send voice messages, or even downloading photos or videos from a received message directly to your computer. To make sure you don’t miss out on a new message, you can also turn on the desktop notification that is show above the chat list. Just make sure you unmute notifications for this feature to work on your computer.
To close out of the web version, you will need to click on the menu button within WhatsApp Web and then select log out. Closing the tab will not close the session and as such, you will be able to resume by simply restoring the tab or by going back to WhatsApp Web’s URL. For more info and guides, please head on over to WhatsApp Web’ FAQ site.
The mechanism of starting up the web service is similar to that of another popular messaging app called WeChat (whose web version, by the way, came out in 2013), but that’s where the similarity ends. WhatsApp Web service is more of a glorified mirroring service for the mobile app, with an interface that works on a browser. The web version requires your phone to have a working internet connection as the former does not work as a standalone app. Just to rephrase and to reiterate, your phone MUST have an internet connection as WhatsApp Web actually sends the messages via your phone app. The web version will not be able to send out a message when your phone is offline, even if your browser has access to the internet.
The mirroring aspect of the WhatsApp web is a bit of a bummer but having a web interface does change a lot of things, especially for people who need to use WhatsApp for work. It is now much easier to send something from the web as PCs are still the superior form for multi-tasking and productivity. Although this was not what I had expected, at least there’s an option now for me to reply my messages without having to go back to my phone. I’ll take this over nothing, anytime, but would still love to see a standalone desktop app in the future. WhatsApp has to evolve more if it wants to stay in the fight especially with the likes of the up and coming, not to mention excellent, Telegram messaging app.
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