Here, you’ll see a QR code on the right side of the screen. In WhatsApp, go to Menu for Android phones (triple dots) or Settings for iPhones (cog icon). Make sure you have a WhatsApp account on your phone and you are logged in. If you don’t have a WhatsApp account, you can download WhatsApp for iOS or Android and create an account. Use WhatsApp constantly for both work and personal chat?
You can do that by launching the app on your phone and tapping on the three dot menu in the top right hand corner. Tap on WhatsApp Web from the dropdown list followed by Link A Device. Simply point your phone’s camera westernfx at the WhatsApp Web QR code to launch the web app. The only downside to using WhatsApp on an iPad is that the notifications are pretty terrible.
So there are a few shortcomings with the browser version — but nothing that would be a deal-breaker. You can easily access your WhatsApp messages on a computer by using WhatsApp Web or the desktop client. You’ll just need to connect your account by scanning a QR code with your phone.
Features
You’re relying on the browser to deliver the notifications, not WhatsApp. So unless you don’t need to reply to messages immediately, you would need to keep the browser open and the iPad window awake to see incoming new messages. One of the most common complaints people make about WhatsApp is the lack of an iPad version. Until Facebook rectifies that problem, WhatsApp Web is an excellent alternative to use on the tablet. Once it’s scanned, WhatsApp Web will show all of your messages.You can click a message to open it and send messages to anyone.
Third-party clients
Prior to Techlicious, Suzanne was the Technology Editor for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and the Senior Technology Editor for Popular Science. The biggest benefit of WhatsApp Web is that you can use your PC’s keyboard to type out messages. This means that you can type considerably faster than you would on your phone’s keyboard.
Platform support
- Until Facebook rectifies that problem, WhatsApp Web is an excellent alternative to use on the tablet.
- You can easily access your WhatsApp messages on a computer by using WhatsApp Web or the desktop client.
- WhatsApp Web is the online browser version of the mobile app.
- Use your phone’s camera to view the QR code on the WhatsApp Web page from step 2 above.
- WhatsApp 2.0, released for iPhone in August 2009, featured a purpose-designed messaging component; the number of active users suddenly increased to 250,000.
All of your conversations will now be immediately available in the browser. Communications remain end-to-end encrypted even when using WhatsApp Web online. The recipient never knows if you’re using WhatsApp Web or the mobile app. If you want a dedicated app, you can use the WhatsApp Desktop application for Windows and macOS. If you don’t want to use the link, you can always search “WhatsApp” in the Microsoft or Apple Stores.
- You’re relying on the browser to deliver the notifications, not WhatsApp.
- Tap on WhatsApp Web from the dropdown list followed by Link A Device.
- WhatsApp was originally available for mobile devices only.
- It enables you to receive your messages on your computer screen in real time, reply by typing on your keyboard, start new conversations and groups, and search chat histories.
- This wikiHow will show you how to open and use WhatsApp on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
To get the QR code, you’ll need to visit web.whatsapp.com. The code will be generated automatically when the page finishes loading. Once it appears, the code needs to be scanned through the WhatsApp app on your phone for the connection to be established.
If you’re worried about your privacy, it’s essential to sign out of your WhatsApp account before closing the browser. You can do almost everything on WhatsApp Web that you can from your smartphone. You can send GIFs, photos, videos, documents, emojis, and more.
Android and iPhone
Click the phone or video camera icon in the upper right corner to start a voice or video call respectively. Once you’re in a video call, you can even share your screen if you want. Just click the screen share button at the bottom, then select the window you’d like to share. For the past 20+ years, Techlicious founder Suzanne Kantra has been exploring and writing about the world’s most exciting and important science and technology issues.
All messages will be synced, so you can seamlessly continue conversations from your mobile device on your computer. This wikiHow will show you how to open and use WhatsApp on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. The differences between the web version and the mobile app are the same as the desktop app. The mobile app gives you the full WhatsApp experience with all the bells and whistles. The browser version misses things like calling, video calls, and status updates. To use WhatsApp Web, open a browser and go to web.whatsapp.com.
This makes it very easy to keep on top of your conversations from your computer. There’s no need to switch between the PC and the phone every time a new message comes in. After months at beta stage, the official first release of WhatsApp for iOS launched in November 2009. In January 2010, support for BlackBerry smartphones was added; and subsequently for Symbian OS in May 2010, and for Android OS in August 2010. In August 2011, a beta for Nokia’s non-smartphone OS Series 40 was added.
Setting up the browser version of WhatsApp is very quick and easy. The following steps assume you already have an account on the mobile app. Open your web browser on your computer and go to web.whatsapp.com (all major browsers are supported, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, Firefox, and Opera). You’ll see a QR code that you will need in step 7 below.
Jeff Bezos phone hack
WhatsApp 2.0, released for iPhone in August 2009, featured a purpose-designed messaging component; the number of active users suddenly increased to 250,000. The major advantage you get from accessing WhatsApp through your browser is convenience. You can use WhatsApp Web from any desktop browser (all major browsers like Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge are supported) on any operating system. You can even use it on PCs that you can’t install apps on (like a public computer), but you should exercise caution if you do that.
How to log out of WhatsApp Web and keep it secure
No, like video chatting, audio calls are also unavailable on the browser version of the app. Use your phone’s camera to view the QR code on the WhatsApp Web page from step 2 above. The QR code automatically links your phone’s WhatsApp account to WhatsApp Web. You need to bear in mind a security vulnerability when using the browser version. When you close the browser tab — or the browser completely — it doesn’t log you out of your WhatsApp account.
Use a private window, make sure to log out, and keep in mind that software on the PC may be able to snoop on what you send and receive. The desktop app and the web interface are very similar, but there are a few critical differences. The big ones are features—the WhatsApp web interface doesn’t allow you to place audio or video calls. Given that limitation, we’d generally recommend that you use the desktop client whenever you can.