WhatsApp’s Windows app is about to get much slower for PC users

Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, is planning to replace the current Windows app for a simpler web wrapper version.

According to Windows Latest, the latest beta version of WhatsApp for PC users will abandon the native Windows UWP framework in favor of an app that’s built on Edge’s Chromium-based WebView2 technology. The new variant is, in effect, a stripped-down web browser that shows the web version of WhatsApp in a desktop app window.

What does this mean in practical terms? A simpler user interface, a changed notification system, more basic settings, and weaker integration with Windows. However, the beta version does include support for WhatsApp Channels and enhanced Status and Communities features.

Based on tests by Windows Latest, the new WhatsApp PC app “uses approximately 30% more RAM than the existing native app” and exhibits several notable differences including “slower performance.”

Why the switch? Most likely to ease development efforts. With a web wrapper, Meta can focus resources on developing a single version of WhatsApp and deploy it cross-platform using web wrappers, instead of maintaining a separate Windows-native version with its own code.