WhatsApp has just launched a desktop version of its popular messaging app, so you can now use your computer as well as your mobile device to chat with friends.
The move makes the messaging service even more accessible, offering millions of its users the chance to communicate across a wider range of devices.
It’s not, however, as straightforward as you might expect. First, you can only run it on Google Chrome, and second, to connect the browser to your WhatsApp client, you need to scan the QR code showing on This Page.
On top of that, your handset needs to stay connected to the Internet for the Web client to work, and “please make sure to install the latest version of WhatsApp on your phone,” the startup says in a blog post announcing the new Web version of its service.
Oh, and one more thing – iOS users can’t use the Web client “due to Apple platform limitations,” though there’s no word on whether it’s working to try to resolve the situation.
Once you’re all done, the desktop browser will mirror the conversations and messages on your mobile device.
With a user base of 700 million, cross-platform WhatsApp is currently the world’s most popular social messaging app. Last year Facebook acquired the business for a colossal $19 billion, though as the startup famously shuns advertising on its messaging product, revenue for the first half of last year came in at only $16 million. Income is generated via a one-dollar annual subscription fee that’s charged after a year’s free use.
Read More: Digital Trends
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