WhatsApp wants to make its mobile chat app even more ubiquitous; this week, the Facebook-owned company launched new desktop apps for OS X and Windows.
The desktop apps sync with a user’s mobile phone once downloaded, allowing them to move seamlessly from one device to another.
While this isn’t the company’s first shot at launching a desktop app, this attempt seems significantly more thought out. In January 2015, Facebook launched WhatsApp Web, which was originally compatible with just Android and Windows phones, before eventually adding support for iOS users as well.
However, this version of the product runs natively on users’ computers, and includes features like keyboard shortcuts.
It’s been suggested that a WhatsApp desktop service could become appealing for use in an enterprise environment, for those who rely on programs like Slack for intra-office communication.
Furthermore, a desktop service may make WhatsApp more competitive with other products that already exist on desktop, given the app’s huge user base.
In a blog post by WhatsApp staff this morning, the application is described as an extension of the smartphone, which “lets you message with friends and family while your phone stays in your pocket.”
In order to download the WhatsApp desktop application, users must have a PC that’s on Windows 8 or higher. Mac users, on the other hand, need to be an Apple computer running OS X 10.9 and higher.
Related reading: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp process more messages than SMS
[source]WhatsApp[/source]
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