WhatsApp is now available on Windows without the need for a phone. The native standalone app no longer requires you to link your phone to the program in order to send, receive and sync messages from your mobile to the chat client. WhatsApp announced this version of the app a while back but it has been in beta testing since and is now available to the public.

Up to now, WhatsApp has been tethered to your phone. In order to use the chat service users had to link the Windows app to their mobile phone by scanning a QR code. WhatsApp says that the new native app will not only allow for an untethered experience but also make the experience faster and more responsive.

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WhatsApp is also working on a macOS version of the app which is expected to release soon. The new apps form WhatsApp’s multi-device feature that allows users to link up to four devices to their WhatsApp account without needing a phone. All apps will also maintain end-to-end encryption.

There are so limitations to this feature though. At the moment, it only works on Windows and mobile phones. It will soon work on macOS but WhatsApp doesn’t have plans to release the feature for tablets soon. It would only make sense for the company to release a tablet version but it isn’t a focus at the moment. The iPad, for example, still doesn’t have a dedicated version of WhatsApp even though it can use SIM cards and is almost a workable notebook.

WhatsApp also says that at launch, there are some limitations to the new version of the app. For example, iPhone users who use their phone as their primary device can’t clear or delete chats. You also can’t send messages with link previews from the WhatsApp web or call users who are using an older version of WhatsApp. However, these issues will go away as more users shift over to the new version of the app.

Source: WhatsApp