WhatsApp Desktop UWP app is being replaced by a web wrapper

[harlan4096]

Three years ago, I wrote about the launch of WhatsApp Desktop UWP app. Now, WhatsApp is killing the Windows app for a web version.

Windows Latest reports that Meta has quietly switched from UWP to a web wrapper.

Back in 2022, I mentioned that WhatsApp's desktop is faster, even WhatsApp's own support page notes that native apps are faster. Sadly, the web app is anything but. It has an ugly design that doesn't fit in, and it is incredibly slow. WhatsApp and Slack are always the slowest tabs to load for me, I load/unload tabs on demand, so I am aware how long they take to render. Of the two, I think WhatsApp is slower by a considerable amount. Well, the web app uses Microsoft Edge WebView2, which is based on Chromium. You can imagine the web app running in the background, it's going to consume a lot of resources, just like the Outlook app.
It's not just about the performance, WhatsApp's UWP app supports keyboard shortcuts, has a better design (colors/buttons), native notifications, etc. Going from these over to a web wrapper will be a downgrade.


(Image courtesy: Windows Latest)

But, on the bright side, a single web app might make things easier for Meta to develop and maintain, as opposed to different versions like the Windows UWP app.

This will also mean that new features will arrive faster, and any bugs that may be present will get patched out quicker. I suppose the calling features which were coming to the web app, will be available in the new desktop app, and now we know why the options were being tested.

Continue Reading...