WhatsApp Will Discontinue Electron App For macOS In 54 Days

WhatsApp has decided to discontinue its web app version for macOS computers and replace it with a new native WhatsApp loaded with advanced features.

Meta has been conducting revamp activities across its service offerings to improve user experience and facilitate better features. For over a year, Meta has been testing a new WhatsApp application for macOS devices. After successfully testing, the tech giant launched the renewed WhatsApp application, replacing the Electron app for macOS.

Electron app has been the go-to software worldwide for Mac computer users who want to access their WhatsApp accounts. Electron is a web-based application that was offered to facilitate the basic needs of WhatsApp users but lacked multiple advanced features. Meta has now confirmed that the Electron application is being discontinued as a service and will officially shut down in the next 54 days.

All Electron users have been notified to shift to the new WhatsApp application so they can experience all the features seamlessly. As reported by WabetaInfo, the new application can be downloaded from WhatsApp’s official website or the Mac App Store. “As you can see from the attached screenshot, users of the Electron app on Mac are now being notified that this app will no longer be available in 54 days. To maintain access to WhatsApp on a desktop computer, they are encouraged to switch to the new Catalyst app, which will preserve all their chats and contacts,” said WaBetaInfo’s report.

The WhatsApp for macOS was built using Catalyst Technology, which uses the iPhone as a base for syncing accounts. The application runs natively on Mac computers and offers all the features available in the mobile version, which were missing in the web-based Electron app for macOS.

Even though the new WhatsApp application was launched earlier this year, it did not garner much attention as users continued with the Electron web app. One of the main reasons was that many important features were missing in the native application. 

WhatsApp has addressed the gap and updated all the features, matching the functionalities with the latest mobile version available globally. As users shift to a new application permanently, its performance will define the initiative's success and whether this release will lead WhatsApp in the landscape of messaging apps.