Accessing WhatsApp on desktophas been easy for years now, through WhatsApp Web, the native app available on the Microsoft Store, and the platform-agnostic app built on Electron framework. Now, WhatsApp has announced it is retiring the latter, and anyone still using the Electron-based app will have to switch to the native app for their OS to continue using WhatsApp.
Back when WhatsApp was in the early stages of development, the developers created an app for desktop, based on the Electron JavaScript framework. This allowed them to share a code base between WhatsApp Web and the new, platform-agnosticdesktop appthat worked on both Windows and macOS. Around four weeks ago, a countdown timer showed up on the main screen of this desktop app, announcing its shutdown.
The deprecation message seen on the Electron-based WhatsApp client for desktop
Doomsday is now here andWABetaInforeports anyone visiting the Electron-based app just sees a screen saying “App expired.” The deprecated app helpfully links to the native WhatsApp Desktop app available on the Microsoft Store or theMac App Store. The new native app has been stable for around a year now, but is still relatively new. Some users may lament the transition period was too short, or the native app still doesn’t have all the functionality for business users, like catalog management and quick replies, and they would be right.
However, the transition is happening with good reason. Although the Electron app was versatile and portable, it was not optimized for macOS or Windows, making it a resource-intensive app, especially for low-end machines. In comparison, the new native app is optimized for each desktop OS and offers greater stability while hogging fewer system resources.
Moreover, WABetaInfo is hopeful the native app will pick up the missing WhatsApp Business utilities soon, now that the Electron app isn’t vying for developers’ attention.
