After years of waiting finally the day arrived when WhatsApp launched its very first web app. And although the recently launched version has limited functionality and not available for iOS users due to Apple platform limitations. One more thing that it will be working on Chrome browser only. We can also expect some more functionality for the Web app in the future, as people become habituated to it and the company receives feedback about its usage from users. Let’s take a deep look at it:
Features of WhatsApp for Web
To say it frankly, there’re not too many features on WhatsApp for Web for now. As company described it itself in the blog post, it’s only an extension of WhatsApp that resides on your phone. So for now you can do only two things with it:
Engaging in WhatsApp conversations with your friends from your computer.
Finding out if your phone’s battery is about to die without visiting the other room in which your phone’s lying!
Limitations
The biggest limitation associated with WhatsApp for Web is its limited functionality. Or it’ll be better to say, a very limited functionality. It doesn’t receive messages from WhatsApp servers – instead, it mirrors the messages that your phone receives to your computer. For this reason it’s mandatory to keep both devices connected to the internet simultaneously, otherwise the setup won’t work.
How to use WhatsApp on PC
Prerequisites:
Get chrome, if you don’t have already.
Get the latest version of WhatsApp on your Android smartphone, if you don’t have already.
Make sure that you’ll be able to keep both devices connected to the internet at the same time with stable internet connections.
Steps for setting up WhatsApp for Web
First of all visit web.whatsapp.com on your desktop using Google Chrome browser.
On your visit you’ll be shown a QR Code on the screen of your computer. You need to scan this QR code with your phone’s WhatsApp application.
Open WhatsApp on your smartphone and navigate to its menu. From there, select WhatsApp for Web option and scan the QR code shown on your computer.
Once code is scanned successfully, your computer will be connected to WhatsApp for Web and you’ll start receiving messages on your desktop!
Tips
There’re a few things that you should keep in mind while using WhatsApp for Web to get the most out of it:
Instead of opening WhatsApp for Web in a tab and expecting it to keep delivering messages to your desktop as they arrive, keep an eye on its tab after regular time intervals because it warns you when your phone’s running out of battery so you don’t lose your connection.
Use same Wi-Fi connection for connecting your phone and PC both to the internet – although it’s not mandatory, still it’s worth mentioning because it can save you from the billing cycle of two separate internet connections.
Troubleshooting
If WhatsApp for Web isn’t connecting on your computer, it may be for either of the two reasons given below:
Phone connectivity issues
A problem with WhatsApp connection on your phone. To make sure that WhatsApp is working properly on your phone, open it on the phone and try sending a message. If the message is sent successfully, then service is working properly on your phone so you can simply jump onto the second category of computer related issues given below. If message sending fails, you need to troubleshoot WhatsApp on your phone first. A full troubleshooting guide for Android for WhatsApp users is given here on the company’s website.
Computer connectivity issues
If WhatsApp is working properly on your phone, but you’re still unable to connect it on your computer, something may be wrong on your computer’s side. To find out what’s wrong, try following things:
Look at the top of your conversations in WhatsApp for Web. Is there a yellow bar atop the conversations telling you that your computer isn’t connected to the internet? If yes, then your computer may really not be connected to the internet. Or even if it’s connected, the connection m
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