WhatsApp is mainly accessed from smartphones.
The chat app, which is owned by Meta, the new company that also owns Instagram and Facebook, is the most popular in the world and for good reason: it entered the market way too earlier than the competition, and it is simple to use.
Now, unlike the likes of Telegram that is cloud-based and can be used on multiple devices, including tablets and computers, WhatsApp does not operate in the same way.
However, the folks at Meta have realized that the limitation is actually making the app look bad in a sea of chat apps that can be accessed from multiple devices.
To this end, WhatsApp has been trying to change how the app works, mainly by introducing new features that match or come close to what the competition offers.
A couple of months ago, WhatsApp launched a feature that allows users to use the app on up to four non-phone devices (mostly computers).
All you could do was access the web version of the app from your computer’s browser, and then link your WhatsApp to it. However, you could only access chats if your primary phone was online.
Then, a few weeks or days ago, WhatsApp changed that. You can now access chats on up to four devices, still, but your primary phone does not need to be online.
In the same instance, you can still access the chats even if you, unfortunately, lose your phone because access is extended up to two weeks. The connection is terminated after the 14-day mark.
So far, so good, right?
Well, there is more good news.
Instead of accessing WhatsApp from a web browser in Windows, you can now do so from an official Windows app.
Named WhatsApp Beta, the app is available in Windows Store, and as its name suggests, it is in beta, so expect some minor bugs.
How to Download
You can access it from here.
Set up is straightforward: just fire up the application, and scan the QR code and you are in.
And remember, your main WhatsApp on your smartphone does not need to be online.
Enjoy.
