By WhatsApp has just unveiled its brand new app for Mac OS, making it easier than ever for Mac users to stay connected. This native Mac app is designed with Mac users in mind, ensuring a seamless and productive experience on larger screens.
With this new app, you can now enjoy video calls with up to eight people and audio calls with a whopping 32 participants, making virtual gatherings more lively and interactive. In an exciting development, Mark Zuckerberg himself shared the news of this app’s launch on his Facebook account.
WhatsApp has fine-tuned the app to align with the Mac’s familiar interface, helping users accomplish tasks more efficiently. You can effortlessly share files by simply dragging and dropping them into your chats and access a more extensive chat history. It’s all about making your WhatsApp experience on Mac as smooth as possible.
This move by WhatsApp follows a period of testing, including a public beta release earlier this year for users with Apple Silicon systems and macOS 11 Big Sur or newer. In addition to the Mac app, WhatsApp also introduced a Windows client in March with similar group-calling capabilities.
WhatsApp originally released desktop apps in 2016, but they’ve been adapting to the changing landscape of desktop technology. Notably, in 2021, WhatsApp started experimenting with multi-device linking, allowing users to receive messages on up to four devices, even if their phone isn’t connected to the internet.
The new Mac app is built using Catalyst, Apple’s cross-platform development framework, which has mostly been discussed in the context of bringing iPad apps to the Mac. Interestingly, there have been rumors of an official WhatsApp iPad app for years, but Meta, the parent company, hasn’t made any official announcements or releases. However, the introduction of this Catalyst-based macOS app raises hope that an iPad app might be in the pipeline.
While the new WhatsApp macOS app has been in a closed beta phase for a few months, it was previously limited to those in the TestFlight beta program. Now, it’s available for anyone to download directly from WhatsApp’s website. After installation, you can link it to the iOS or Android apps using the standard QR code-based system. This means that staying connected across all your devices is now more accessible and convenient than ever.
