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WhatsApp Desktop App Gains Support for Voice and Video Calls

Gmc8538 said:
Jesus you lot... do any of you have friends who don‘t use iPhones? WhatsApp is the de-facto way to chat with people on whatever device they use with just phone numbers instead of adding people with usernames like other apps.

That and if you want to send media to someone using an android phone then messages app is no good unless you’ve got an MMS allowance.

And to be honest I find WhatsApp a better chat app then iMessage - I’ve personally been using it for the past 11 years and still use it daily.

Anyway it’s great that they’re finally rolling out video to the desktop platform, I wish they’d introduce this for iPad too but that sides always been lacking.

As for the whole Facebook thing - I don’t really care, they’ve not done anything drastic to ruin WhatsApp yet. Don’t use actual Facebook myself but I bet the majority of people moaning about Facebook probably have Facebook accounts... if they don’t then their partners probably do...
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"As for the whole Facebook thing - I don't really care"

You said it yourself: you're careless about what's at stake here. That is a pretty irresponsible conclusion to draw from what we know about FB's data harvesting practices. As ever, if you enjoy the free product and shrug at what it *actually* costs, then you are the product. There are options (like Signal) that do what you're describing above, but without Facebook's constant and expanding violation of individuals' privacy rights.
 
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kyjaotkb said:
Now, please please make an Apple Watch app. I know, I should stop using Whatsapp. But I have litterally zero contacts using SMS or iMessage here in London and virtually everyone I know in Europe or Latin America uses Whatsapp exclusively. Not having a Watch app and being limited to receive notifications, without images and without access to the history of conversations, makes using an Apple Watch extremely frustrating.
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Please don't fall for it. Educate your contacts so the move to more ethical platforms.
 
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TonnyTech said:
Please don't fall for it. Educate your contacts so the move to more ethical platforms.
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Cute thinking but in Europe, Whatsapp is litterally the only thing people (including all my family and colleagues) use. It is totally impossible to avoid. The only items in my Messages app are automated texts from 2FA and delivery services. Some US contacts use Facebook Messenger - which has a really good Watch app, by the way!, Russia-based contacts use Telegram, almost everyone I know in the UK joined Signal, but no-one uses it. I know it may sound crazy from a US perspective, but there is strictly no avoiding Whatsapp in many parts of the world.
 
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ashleykaryl said:
Hmm, end-to-end encryption, but with Facebook's privacy policy I am wondering to which end.
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My question is why did it take Fb/WA until now to introduce this into the macOS app, it honestly feels like a lame attempt to retain users from leaving in May 2021.

That one last hit before you quite, your sure, this is so much more stronger and lasts longer kinda enticement. Pathetic.
 
kyjaotkb said:
Cute thinking but in Europe, Whatsapp is litterally the only thing people (including all my family and colleagues) use. It is totally impossible to avoid. The only items in my Messages app are automated texts from 2FA and delivery services. Some US contacts use Facebook Messenger - which has a really good Watch app, by the way!, Russia-based contacts use Telegram, almost everyone I know in the UK joined Signal, but no-one uses it. I know it may sound crazy from a US perspective, but there is strictly no avoiding Whatsapp in many parts of the world.
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This is poor reasoning, if someone does not initiate change others will provide the same response such as yours.

While I understand the situation you are in, how about signup with Signal, provide you contacts and inform them that you are seeking to transition for XYZ reason, eventually your contacts will see that other members of the WA group are transitioning to other options and follow suit. “Be the change you want to see”.

Humans are creatures of habit and like social acceptance, it will take time but your contacts (maybe not all) will transition. Good luck in your efforts.
 
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alexandr said:
wait, how does a desktop app fall under "doesn't do anything"?..
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Well I think he meant how it lacked the features of MOST other chat apps from even the early 2000s. That's my guess. Seeing updates on anything other than iPhones for WhatsApp was pretty rare for the last handful of years.
 
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BigMcGuire said:
Well I think he meant how it lacked the features of MOST other chat apps from even the early 2000s. That's my guess. Seeing updates on anything other than iPhones for WhatsApp was pretty rare for the last handful of years.
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i guess, but minus the calling/video features, it's pretty good imho.
 
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I guess we’ll never see an iPad app? It’s the main reason I switched to Signal because of the lack of an iPad app. What’s App was definitely smoother.
 
cicalinarrot said:
Many reasons: it takes an eternity to load, it sometimes disconnects and asks for the QR, my phone battery happens to die, my phone happens to have bad connectivity, my data is stored in my phone requiring space and backups. No need for caves to call it a dealbreaker for me.
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None of the issues which I've seen myself, to be honest. The last couple of days my pi-hole has been blocking the desktop app for some reason.
 
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