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WhatsApp Working on App for iPadOS and macOS Using Mac Catalyst

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WhatsApp is working on an app for iPadOS, and thanks to Mac Catalyst, an app for macOS too, according to WABetaInfo.

Whatsapp Feature
WhatsApp's rumored app for iPad will be a Catalyst app, enabling it to run seamlessly on macOS. This effectively allows the same app to share code while running on separate platforms.

The new WhatsApp app for macOS apparently looks very similar to the app for iPadOS, featuring the same basic interface, but there are some minor UI changes to accommodate a desktop experience. Presumably, this new Mac app will replace the existing macOS WhatsApp app and no longer rely on a connected smartphone.

The new apps will be supported by multi-device capability, allowing users to use their WhatsApp account on up to four different linked devices even when their main smartphone is not connected to the internet. WABetaInfo said that WhatsApp will enable support for macOS at a later date, suggesting that the iPad app may be released first.

Tags: Project Catalyst, WhatsApp

Top Rated Comments

H
Havoc035
57 months ago
Not a big Meta fan at all. But I have to hand it to them, using Catalyst to build the mac app is way better than having it based on Electron.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
Kylo83
57 months ago
How long does it take years
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
orbital~debris Avatar
orbital~debris
57 months ago
Talking of Signal, I hope this spurs them into creating a better ‘Signal Desktop’ macOS app (with more features, better integration with the OS, fuller menus, proper preferences window etc.) that can also go into the Mac App Store
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johannnn Avatar
johannnn
57 months ago
And the watch? I need an app for the watch.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
N
nebulosan
57 months ago

Not a big Meta fan at all. But I have to hand it to them, using Catalyst to build the mac app is way better than having it based on Electron.
I also read that they are ditching Electron in their Facebook Messenger desktop app in favor of an AppKit based one.

Even if one is not a user of FB/WhatsApp, this is good news since other developers can look at what tools and frameworks big companies like Facebook choose.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mockletoy Avatar
Mockletoy
57 months ago

Isn't there already a WhatsApp app for macOS?

https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/whatsapp-desktop/id1147396723?l=fr&mt=12
That was always more of a companion app. Until quite recently it couldn’t actually do anything but basically mirror messages from your phone, which it had to be connected to at all times.

Just in the last little while they started a beta test of letting the app actually connect to the WhatsApp servers and do stuff on its own.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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