WhatsApp releases desktop app for OS X and Windows

Almost a year after the official introduction of the WhatsApp client via the web browser, there is now a version for PC and Mac. As with WhatsApp Web, this version also requires the phone to be online, which makes the desktop version an extension of the phone account.

The big difference with the WhatsApp Web version is that the native app offers support for own notifications from the operating systems and locally configured keyboard shortcuts. The Windows version requires Windows 8 or higher and the Mac OS X version 10.9 or higher, although there are rumors on Reddit that it will also work on Windows 7.

The fact that an internet-connected phone is still needed is because WhatsApp does not store the messages between users on its own servers. Once messages are delivered to the user’s phone, WhatsApp deletes them from its servers.

As with the web version, after downloading and installing the app, a QR code must first be scanned with the user’s phone.