What is Whatsapp Web? – Definition, Functions And More

Definition WhatsApp Web

WhatsApp Web is an Application launched in 2009. It is one of the most popular voice and text messaging apps in the world. It’s free, and you can send messages in various ways, from computers – desktops and laptops – to mobile devices. Part of what makes this app attractive is that it works with various phone and computer operating systems. You can also take advantage of Wi-Fi and cellular data to make personal or group calls.

After a long wait in which many of its competitors have been ahead of it, WhatsApp has finally launched its application to chat from the web. Therefore, now we can use WhatsApp from any computer regardless of its operating system. Or at least that is how it should have been.

And it is that this launch has not been without controversy. First of all, the only browser with which the application is compatible is Chrome, then we will explain why. Also, iOS users will not be able to use this web application no matter how much they use the Google browser, which does not seem to be changing anytime soon.

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How does it work?

When we access the WhatsApp Web page, it will show us a QR code at which we will have to point with our mobile camera using the “WhatsApp Web” option implemented in the mobile application after its last update. After this, the web will automatically synchronize with our device via WiFi or our data connection.

The connection to the WhatsApp servers is not made from the website, but directly from the mobile we have synchronized. In this way, we are downloading all conversations and images that we handle from the server and uploading them to the web directly from our mobile phone. So if it fails and we will not be able to use the service.

This indicates that what the WhatsApp web offers is not an instant messaging client in the cloud-like the one provided by large competitors such as Telegram, but direct access to our mobile phone application. It depends at all times on it to be able to function. Time will tell if this decision has been the right one or if they have missed an opportunity to catch up with what the competition offers.

We have been able to verify that this web application has a limit during our tests because we can send and receive:

• Text
• Voice
• And image messages.

It has not included other vital options such as sending video files or share contacts and our location. Considering that all contacts are made through our mobile phone. It should not have been very complicated to implement.

The interface is quite similar to that of the mobile application, having left a column with the list of our conversations and on the right their content. Browsing the options in the contact column. We have realized that many of those included in the web version are missing since our profile cannot start. We have not found a way to create conversation groups.

If we add a new contact on our mobile phone while we have the web open when trying to open a recent conversation with that person; it will not appear in the list, so we will have to start it from the mobile phone restarting our browser. If we choose to start the conversation from the phone, the data of that contact such as the name or the avatar will not appear until after restarting Chrome. And in the case of the avatar, it is possible that not even with those.

In the options referring to each of the conversations, there are also significant absences, such as the:

• Possibility of changing the background image
• Seeing the files that we have shared in the chat
• Searching for specific words in the log
• Emptying the conversation window
• or the possibility of blocking the user with whom we are talking.

Fortunately, the functions that the web application does include do not cause any problems. Displaying of notifications is perfect on the PC. Messages arrive in real-time, and images and audio share without any problem. The images can even  enlarge, something always very welcome. By showing, we can even see when someone is writing something before the text, and the famous blue double-check appear.

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