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WhatsApp Web and iOS

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macrumors 68040
Original poster
Apr 12, 2012
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WhatsApp Web has been released and works with most mobile OSes except iOS.

WhatsApp said “Apple has no background multi-tasking and no proper push technology. So it is a bad user experience on iOS.”

I'm surprised as I thought Windows Phone was very similar in that it's locked down with no 'true' multitasking and only allows certain background tasks. Yet it's possible on Windows Phone but not iOS.

Is anyone able to offer some technical insight into what the problem might be for iOS?

From what I understand (please correct me if wrong), on other platforms, the messages are routed via phones. e.g. Person A is sending a message to Person B using the web client. The message actually gets sent to Person A's phone. Person A's phone sends the message to Person B's phone. Person B's phone forwards it to the web server so Person B can see it on the web client.

Now, this is easier on Android, where WhatsApp can run a background service so it's constantly connected to the WhatsApp servers. It can receive and forward messages at any time. But on iOS, WhatsApp can't run in the background. This is probably the initial problem, but again, I thought it would be the same problem on Windows Phone?

I was also under the impression that background tasks could be initiated by notifications, and also that notifications can be silent. So there wouldn't be any problem for iOS to receive a WhatsApp notification and then this wake up WhatsApp so it can forward it onto the web servers. Then messages sent using the web client could use silent notifications to trigger WhatsApp on the phone to forward it on. So it seems possible on iOS, but I'm not an iOS developer so might be missing some obvious limitations.

If anyone understands the whole situation better, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
 
iOS does support push notifications but you have to use the Apple servers and from iOS8, background notifications can download content.

It seems like WhatsApp just wants to bypass Apple and control all notification related things and also kill your battery.
 
nightstalkerz said:
iOS does support push notifications but you have to use the Apple servers and from iOS8, background notifications can download content.

It seems like WhatsApp just wants to bypass Apple and control all notification related things and also kill your battery.
Click to expand...

Doesn't Windows Phone use Microsoft servers for notifications though? I didn't think apps could run in background to handle their own push/pull?
 
I only wish, WhatsApp would do the same as Viber, so that I can also use it on my lap top.
 
Initially, I wondered how Apple's limitations in iOS could have any bearing on their web chat not working, but looking at it closer, it seems the web is more of a portal to your chats that are actually taking place on the phone. It could probably work for iOS if one were to leave the screen on and stay within WhatsApp. They likely just didn't bother, because who's going to actually do that.

It's the same with the sync feature in Plex. On Android you can manage synced content within the Plex service itself, and have it sync content to your Android device where as on iOS you need to leave the app open and running while it completes it. It's quite annoying.
 
nightstalkerz said:
iOS does support push notifications but you have to use the Apple servers and from iOS8, background notifications can download content.

It seems like WhatsApp just wants to bypass Apple and control all notification related things and also kill your battery.
Click to expand...

Just look at google hangouts. Massive battery drain there.
 
It completely blows my mind what crap WhatsApp is. People should migrate over to Telegram. It just does the job so much better.

- Clients for pretty much every platform
- Conversations synced on every client you use
- Open source client API (anyone can make a client)
- Private peer to peer off the record conversations

WhatsApp is such a horrible kludge, having to use the phone as a proxy for the web client to work. It boggles my mind people keep using this; word needs to get out about how superior Telegram is.
 
xero9 said:
Initially, I wondered how Apple's limitations in iOS could have any bearing on their web chat not working, but looking at it closer, it seems the web is more of a portal to your chats that are actually taking place on the phone. It could probably work for iOS if one were to leave the screen on and stay within WhatsApp. They likely just didn't bother, because who's going to actually do that.

It's the same with the sync feature in Plex. On Android you can manage synced content within the Plex service itself, and have it sync content to your Android device where as on iOS you need to leave the app open and running while it completes it. It's quite annoying.
Click to expand...
.

Thanks but a central thread through my posts is regarding how it is possible on Windows Phone but not iOS. I know Android can do this, as I stated in my first post:

"Now, this is easier on Android, where WhatsApp can run a background service so it's constantly connected to the WhatsApp servers. It can receive and forward messages at any time. But on iOS, WhatsApp can't run in the background. This is probably the initial problem, but again, I thought it would be the same problem on Windows Phone?"
 
zorinlynx said:
It completely blows my mind what crap WhatsApp is. People should migrate over to Telegram. It just does the job so much better.

WhatsApp is such a horrible kludge, having to use the phone as a proxy for the web client to work. It boggles my mind people keep using this; word needs to get out about how superior Telegram is.
Click to expand...

I agree but in e.g. the Netherlands the majority of users stays with WhatsApp because they know it and everyone uses it. I would also like to use to Telegram but the majority of my friends/family keep using WhatsApp.
 
I don't think it's due to platform restriction.

Look at WeChat, another popular app which functions similar with Whatsapp.

https://web.wechat.com/

Its web edition provides the same thing as the new Whatsapp web: scan the QR code in app and you are logged-in from desktop's browser. More importantly, it supports iOS!!

And if WeChat could do it, why couldn't Whatsapp?

Why an update of Whatsapp in iOS always take a decade to go?

It's simple - they never take care of iOS users.:mad:
 
CarlosQG said:
I'd rather have iMessage web on icloud.com
Click to expand...

You know, I often think that's in the works. It seems natural for Apple to do that using Apple ID and whatnot.

But then again, who is not carrying their iPhone, iPad or MacBook with them, and not natively iMessaging from one of those devices instead?
 
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