After leaks had all but confirmed the release of the feature, WhatsApp, the world’s most popular mobile messaging app finally has a desktop version.
“Today, for the first time, millions of you will have the ability to use WhatsApp on your web browser.” A blog post announcing the feature said. The web service would require an internet connected mobile device and mirrors messages on the phone. “Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device -- this means all of your messages still live on your phone.”
The feature only works on the Google Chrome web browser for now, and requires the user to scan the QR code on the desktop on https://web.whatsapp.com with their mobile. The web feature is compatible with all WhatsApp mobile clients including Android, Windows Phone, Blackberry, and Nokia S60, but isn’t supported on iOS, “Due to Apple platform limitations.”
Acquired by Facebook last year for nearly USD 22 billion, WhatsApp currently has more than 600 million monthly active users, India alone has a user base of 70 million WhatsApp users. In April 2014, WhatsApp had processed 64 billion messages in 24 hours.