WhatsApp introduces web version

WhatsApp is officially available in the web browser for the first time. Users can connect WhatsApp to their smartphone, allowing them to chat via the website. The version of WhatsApp for iOS is not supported, as are browsers other than Chrome.

WhatsApp announced the web version on Wednesday evening. To use the chat program in the browser, a WhatsApp user must link the web version of WhatsApp to his phone by scanning a QR code. To do that, he or she must have the latest version of WhatsApp. The web interface can only be used in Chrome; other browsers are not supported at this time.

Next, his phone has to stay online; If the phone loses its connection to the Internet, the web version can no longer be used. This is due to the way WhatsApp is set up: unlike some other messaging services, WhatsApp does not store messages on its server. Once messages are delivered to the user’s phone, WhatsApp deletes them from its servers. Therefore, the user’s smartphone is responsible for receiving and sending messages via the web version.

The web version of WhatsApp is supported in combination with Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry. The web version does not support the iOS app, due to Apple’s “platform limitations”. The functionality seems to be rolling out slowly; many users report that they cannot activate the web app yet.