WhatsApp announced the launch of WhatsApp Web on Wednesday, finally enabling the use of the popular messaging app on desktop computers. While the solution isn’t cross-platform and feels like a hack at first glance, it works surprisingly well. We managed to get our hands on the updated Android app that comes with WhatsApp Web support, and here are our initial thoughts.
The first step towards getting WhatsApp working inside your browser is to get the latest version of WhatsApp for Android, BlackBerry, Nokia S60, or Windows Phone ( sorry iPhone users) that comes with support for WhatsApp Web. Look for the WhatsApp Web option in the respective apps before proceeding further - the WhatsApp Web website tells you where to find the option inside each app. Android users, make sure you are running version 2.11.498 or later. To check what version of WhatsApp you are on, open the app, go to the menu ( three dots) -> Settings -> Help ->About.
Next, open the WhatsApp Webwebsite on your desktop in Google Chrome. This is important as there’s no standalone desktop app for WhatsApp and WhatsApp Web will not work in any other browser like Safari, Firefox, or Internet Explorer. Once the WhatsApp Web page finishes loading, you will see a QR code on the top left part of the screen. Now fire up WhatsApp on your mobile phone and select WhatsApp Web from the menu ( three dots) .