WhatsApp for Windows and Mac are extensions of the WhatsApp account on your phone. The messages you send and receive are synced between your phone and computerand you can see your messages across all devices. Download and install WhatsApp on your computer and you'll also be able to make voice and video callsand share files with your contacts from your PC and Mac.
Can I use WhatsApp on my computer and phone at the same time?
YesWhatsApp web and desktop applications are extensions of the WhatsApp account on your phone. The messages you send and receive are syncedand you can see your messages on all devices seamlessly. You can use up to four linked devices and one phone at a time.
What happens if my phone is offline?
You only need your phone to be online when you register WhatsApp for the first time or pair new devices. After signing upyour phone doesn't need to stay online to use WhatsApp on linked devicesbut your linked devices will go offline if you don't use your phone for more than 14 days.
Why use WhatsApp on PC/Mac?
Using WhatsApp on a desktop computer is useful for a variety of reasons. The ability to have a larger screen for messagingthe ability to multitask while still being able to message on WhatsAppand the ability to send and receive messages even when your phone is not nearby are some of the key benefits. Additionallyit can be more convenient to type on a physical keyboard rather than a small touch screen.
Can I make video calls using WhatsApp Desktop?
Yesyou can make free voice and video calls on WhatsApp desktop using your laptop/PC webcam.
Is WhatsApp secure?
WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption as a default for all private communicationthis includes messages and callsgroup and one-on-one chats as well as any photos or files you send.
HoweverWhatsApp is owned by Facebook which makes many wonder about privacy. More security-conscious users often prefer to use Signal or Telegram for sharing personal or sensitive information.
You can use up to four linked devices and one phone at a time. Each linked device connects to WhatsApp independently while maintaining the same level of privacy and security through end-to-end encryption.
Your phone doesn't need to stay online to use WhatsApp on linked devicesbut your linked devices will be logged out if you don't use your phone for over 14 days.
WhatsApp is available for Android and iPhone / iOS.
Features
Keep the Conversation Going
- With WhatsApp Desktopyou can seamlessly sync all of your chats to your computer so that you can chat on whatever device is most convenient for you.
Security by Default
- Some of your most personal moments are shared on WhatsAppwhich is why we built end-to-end encryption into the latest versions of our app. When end-to-end encryptedyour messages and calls are secured so only you and the person you're communicating with can read or listen to themand nobody in betweennot even WhatsApp.
Desktop calling
- You can make free voice and video calls to your contacts on WhatsApp Desktop if you have the app installed on your computer.
What's New
New Feature Roundup: Free up spacemultiple accountscross-platform transfer and more
Over timeour chats become a record of the moments that matter: conversations with familylaughs with friendsthe photos and videos we couldn't stop sharing. To help you make the most of all of itwe're rolling out new ways to make WhatsApp even easier to use – whether you're staying organizedjuggling work and personalor getting more out of every chat.
Free up spacekeep what matters: As your chats fill upso can the clutter. Now you can find and delete large files directly within any chatso you can clear what you don't need without wiping your entire conversation. Simply tap the chat name and select Manage Storage. You can also choose to clear just media files when clearing a chat – keeping your chat history intact.
Cross-platform chat transfer made easy: Our chat transfer feature now supports moving your chat history from iOS to Androidin addition to within the same platform. Changing phones shouldn't be complicated. Nowwith just a couple tapsyour conversationsphotosand videos easily come with you.
Two accountsone phone – now on iOS: You can now have two WhatsApp accounts logged in at the same time on iOS – just like on Android. No more carrying two phones to keep work and personal separate. You'll always know which account you're in because your profile picture will now be visible in the bottom tab.
Stickers that match your mood: Stickers can bring biggerbolder expressions to your chats – and now WhatsApp will make it easier to use them by suggesting them as you type emojis. With just a tapyou can swap an emoji for a sticker that captures exactly how you're feeling.
Photo touch-ups with Meta AI: You can now use Meta AI to touch up photos directly in your chat before sendingmaking it easy to remove something distractingswap in a new backgroundor apply a fun . Meta AI features may not be available to all users.
AI Writing Help is even more useful: Writing Help can now draft a suggested response based on your conversationso you can get your message just right – all while keeping your chats completely private.
Introducing parent-managed accounts on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is the trusted way families communicate because it's simpleprivateand reliable. With input from families and expertswe're rolling out new parent-managed accounts that allow parents or guardians to set up WhatsApp for pre-teenswith new controls to limit their WhatsApp experience to messaging and calling.
To beginparents will need the phone they have bought for their family member and their own deviceside by side to link their accounts. Once set upthese accounts are controlled by the parent or guardian who will be able to decide who can contact the account and which groups they can join. In additionparents can review message requests from unknown contacts and manage the account's privacy settings.
The new parental controls and settings are gated by a parent PIN on the managed device. Only parents can access and change privacy settingsensuring they are empowered to tailor their family's experience.
All personal conversations remain private and protected with end-to-end encryptionmeaning no one – not even WhatsApp – can see or hear them. We're providing more tools and insights for parentsparticularly around groupswhich you can learn more about here.
WhatsApp is already an important part of family life - whether updating extended family on big milestoneskeeping up with after school plans or just letting loved ones know you're home safe. As we gradually roll out parent-managed accounts over the coming monthswe look forward to getting your feedback so we can continue building WhatsApp to provide the safest and most private way for families to connect.
WhatsApp's Latest Privacy Protection: Strict Account Settings
At WhatsAppwe think you should be able to have a private conversation onlinejust like you would in-person. We will always defend that right to privacy for everyonestarting with default end-to-end encryption. But we also know that a few of our users – like journalists or public-facing figures – may need extreme safeguards against rare and highly-sophisticated cyber attacks.
That's why today we're announcing a newlockdown- feature called Strict Account Settings.
If you turn this oncertain account settings will lock to the most restrictive settingsand it will limit how your WhatsApp works in some wayslike blocking attachments and media from people not in your contacts. You can enable Strict Account Settings – which is rolling out gradually over the coming weeks – by going to Settings > Privacy > Advanced.
Strict Account Settings is one of many ways we're working to protect you from the most sophisticated of cyber threats. We've also rolled out a programming language called Rust behind the scenes to help keep your photosvideosand messages safe from things like spywareso you can share and chat with confidence. To go deeper in the techclick here.
Level Up Your WhatsApp Group Chats With New Member TagsText Stickersand More
It's a new year and a great time for some upgrades to your group chats. Group chats on WhatsApp make it easier to stay connected with the people in your life no matter what device they own – whether it's sharing New Year's resolutionspreparing for that special celebration you have coming upor planning to win your football league.
Todaywe're introducing new features that make staying connected and expressing yourself in group chats even better.
Member tags: We all wear different hats and sometimes you want to give that more context in a group chat. Now you can give yourself a tag that tells the group what your role isand can be customized for each group you're in. So you can be "Anna's Dad" in one groupand "Goalkeeper" in another.
Text stickers: For the messages you want to really stand outyou can now turn any word into a sticker by typing your text into Sticker Search. You can also add newly created stickers directly to your sticker packs instead of having to send them in a chat first.
Event reminders: Now when you create and send an event in your group chat you can set custom early reminders for your invitees. This helps everyone remember to commute to the party you're hosting or hop on the call at the right timedepending on the event type.
These new updates join a bunch of great features we've launched over the years to bring groups closer together – like sharing large files up to 2GBHD mediascreen sharingvoice chatsand more. We believe WhatsApp offers the best group chat experienceand we're committed to making it even better.
Get the Tone of Your Message Right with Private Writing Help
Sometimes you know what you want to saybut just need a little help with how to say it.
That's why today we're introducing Writing Help. It's our latest AI feature powered by Private Processing that keeps your messages completely private. You can review the suggestions from AI in various s such as professionalfunnyor supportive that you can select or continue editing to deliver that perfect message.
To use Writing Helpjust start drafting your message in a 1:1 or group chatand tap the new pencil icon.
Is this really private?
Yes. Writing Help is built on top of Private Processing technologywhich allows you to leverage Meta AI to generate a response without Meta or WhatsApp ever reading your message or the suggested re-writes.
For those interested in learning more about the technical details behind Private Processingwe invite you to read our engineering blog and technical white paper that explains how this and other features we're building work. From the startwe worked with our peers in the security community to stress-test and validate the architecture of Private Processing to help us continue to harden it. Todayindependent researchers at NCC Group and Trail of Bits published their audit reports on the steps we've taken to evolve this privacy-preserving technology.
As alwayswe believe that you should be in control of your experience on WhatsApp. That's why using Private Processing features like Writing Help and Message Summaries are optional and are off by default.
Writing Help is rolling out in the English languagestarting with the United States and several other countries. We hope to bring it to other languages and countries later this year.
New Feature Roundup: Missed call messagesnew Status stickers and more
We're introducing another bundle of features just in time for the holidays. This edition is packed with exciting new updates including missed call messagesfun Status stickersimproved Meta AI image generationand more - making it easier than ever to connect with those who matter most.
Calls
Missed call messages: The holidays are a busy time packed with catching up with loved ones and sometimes you may not catch someone right away. If they don't answeryou can now record a voice or video notedepending on the call typein one tap for them to listen to later. This new approach will make voicemails a thing of the past.
Reactions in voice chats: Voice chats help you quickly shift between messaging and talking live without ringing the whole group. Now you can react during a voice chatso you can share a quick 'cheers!' without interrupting the conversation.
Group call speaker spotlight: On video callsthe speaker is automatically prioritized to help you easily follow along.
Chats
Meta AI image creation improvements: Meta AI has delivered new image generation model capabilities from Midjourney and Flux on WhatsApp so you'll notice huge improvements when creating annual holiday greetings to share in your chats or status.
Animate your images with Meta AI: You can now animate any photo into a short video to add more fun and festivity in chats or to your status.
New media tab on desktop: Search for your documentslinksand media across chats all in one organized place – so it's easier to find files and get more done faster on MacWindows and Web.
Cleaner link previews: We've improved the look of link previewsstreamlining long URL links to avoid disrupting the chat and keep the conversation flowing.
Updates
New stickers on Status: We've added more ways to express yourself on Status including adding music lyricsquestions to which others can respond and interactive stickers you can tap to engage with.
