WhatsApp has officially deprecated its Electron-based Desktop application on Windows, prompting users to switch to the newly introduced native app for uninterrupted access. The move aims to provide a more optimized, stable, and feature-rich messaging experience on desktop devices, although some users have expressed dissatisfaction with the quick transition and the temporary lack of business tools in the native app.
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Article about? | WhatsApp Desktop |
| Status? | Expired |
| I’ve installed the latest update of the app but I cannot use it. Why? | The app is expired so it is no longer possible to use it. However, you can still use WhatsApp Web and the native app. |
| Thanks: | AnonymousWP, Eloy, and IsaacAndHisIsaac, for testing and reporting! |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.13.0.72: what’s new? WhatsApp is releasing an advanced proxy configuration with chat and media settings! |
WHATSAPP DESKTOP
Today, WhatsApp has officially announced the deprecation of its WhatsApp Desktop application based on the Electron framework. When users open the Electron version on Windows, they are now prompted to switch to the newly introduced native app in order to continue using WhatsApp on their desktop devices. In reality, the deprecation wasn’t so unexpected as WhatsApp notified users over 4 weeks ago by displaying a countdown directly on the app’s main screen. Finally, this application has officially reached its end-of-life stage after years of providing a solution to use WhatsApp on a desktop device by providing users with an app based on the Electron framework.
As you can see in this screenshot, users opening the Electron-based WhatsApp Desktop application will now encounter an expiration message. This message explicitly notifies them that the app is no longer supported and that they should switch to the new native app to continue using WhatsApp on their desktop computers. At the moment, the deprecation of the Electron app seems limited to WhatsApp Desktop for Windows as the native app is considered stable since last year.
The Electron framework allows developers to create cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies by developing a single codebase that works across different operating systems like Windows and macOS. However, they are not really optimized since they are developed to work on different operating systems and they may use a lot of resources. Native apps can definitely offer a more smooth and more intuitive user interface, better responsiveness, and enhanced stability, delivering a more robust and reliable messaging service, and it’s the reason why WhatsApp decided to build a native solution for their users.
To ensure uninterrupted access to WhatsApp on Desktop, users need to switch from the deprecated Electron version to the native app. WhatsApp has invested in developing dedicated applications for Windows and it works great. However, many users have expressed their dissatisfaction that this deprecation happened too quickly. The native Windows application, while offering a smooth and stable experience, does not provide users with the business features that were available in the previous application. As a result, it is not possible to use essential business tools for effective customer communication, such as quick replies, catalog management, and more.
Since the WhatsApp Desktop app built with the Electron framework is expired, users need to download the native desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store. If you still need to use business tools, you can consider using WhatsApp Web as a temporary solution. We are also confident that WhatsApp will release business features for the native app as soon as possible.
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