WhatsApp launches its first native macOS app with group calling support
Took them long enough
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
After what feels like forever, Meta-owned instant messaging platformWhatsApphas finally launched a native macOS app. The new version gives Mac users similar functionality thatWindows PC users have enjoyed since March.
The new Mac app is already available for download for free viaWhatsApp’s servers, but those who prefer to use the Mac App Store might have to wait a little while — WhatsApp says that it’s coming soon.
No matter where you download the upgraded WhatsApp app, you’ll benefit from new features, including some that have been brought about by the move to a native macOS app. For the first time, familiar Mac features such as drag and drop are available to WhatsApp users. Files can easily be dragged and then dropped into a chat for convenience, while those with longer chat histories will now see more of them, we’re told.
More Mac in your app
WhatsApp announced its new app via ablog post, noting that there are improved calling features for those who want to take advantage of them.
“With the new WhatsApp app for Mac, you can now make group calls from your Mac for the first time, connecting with up to 8 people on video calls and up to 32 people on audio calls,” the blog post explains. “Now you can join a group call after it’s started, see your call history and choose to receive incoming call notifications even when the app is closed.”
Alongside the new drag-and-drop support, WhatsApp users can also expect all of the usual features that they’re used to. That means that their chats will continue to be end-to-end encrypted, and cross-platform support will continue to make WhatsApp one of the best instant messaging platforms around. In a world whereApplecontinues to refuse tosupport RCSon its devices, third-party apps remain a requirement for communicating with people across the Android-iPhone divide.
The new native WhatsApp Mac app can be downloadedfrom the company’s websiteright now. You’ll needmacOS 11 Big Suror later, and you’ll need a Mac running on Apple silicon — so that’s M1 or later, folks. Don’t have a Mac that meets those requirements? WhatsApp web is still available.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn’t looked back.
How to delete a character from Character AI
How to turn off Meta AI
I fell in love with the cute and compact Hyundai Inster, but it has one major drawback
