WhatsApp is releasing an option to sign up for the WhatsApp Web beta program, allowing users to receive new features reserved for beta testers when the WhatsApp Desktop app will officially be deprecated. This option is available to some people and it is coming to even more users over the coming days.
| Common questions | Answers |
|---|---|
| Name of the feature? | Join WhatsApp Web beta |
| Status? | Rolling out |
| Compatibility? | WhatsApp Web 2.2318.11 is marked as a compatible update. If you’re on an older version of WhatsApp Web and you do not see the option, please clear the cache to get the newest version. |
| Thanks: | AKtech6G and Sc, for testing and reporting! |
| Previous news? | WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.10.8: what’s new? WhatsApp is working on a feature to report messages to group admins! |
A lot of people may have noticed that the icon for the WhatsApp Desktop app, the Electron wrapper version, has changed from green to gray. Usually, a gray color corresponds to a product that no longer works, and apparently, this is what is going to happen in the future to the desktop application. In fact, some users have already received a warning message within the application, informing them that the application will stop working and inviting them to download the native application from the Microsoft Store. However, there are users who would like to continue using the old version of WhatsApp since the native application still does not support all the features available in the Electron version, especially business tools. Probably, in the future, there will be no way to use this version, but users can still rely on WhatsApp Web as an alternative.
WhatsApp offers a beta version for the desktop application, but it has never offered a similar service for the web client. However, as you can see in this screenshot, WhatsApp is releasing the option to sign up for the WhatsApp Web beta program: open WhatsApp Web, connect with your device by scanning the QR code, and open the help section. Once you’re signed up, you’ll gradually receive all new features reserved for beta testers.
It is not yet clear which features are reserved for beta testers, and how long it will take to receive them, but this option shows us that WhatsApp still wants to offer the possibility to test specific features to beta testers in order to improve the application through feedback and bug reports.
The option to join the WhatsApp Web beta program is rolling for some users this week, and it should be released more widely in the coming days. Please, open that section periodically to find out when you can join the beta program.
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