You can now WhatsApp from your desktop

SINGAPORE — WhatsApp users can now view and send messages from their desktops’ web browsers, thanks to a new update from the mobile messaging company.

The desktop chat option, which became available yesterday, was announced by WhatsApp on its blog (https://blog.whatsapp.com/614/WhatsApp-Web) on Wednesday.

Users need to install the latest version of WhatsApp on their mobile phones and have the Google Chrome browser on their desktops.

They can then pair the browser with their phones by opening https://web.whatsapp.com in the browser and scanning the QR Code on the website, with WhatsApp turned on in their phones. For the option to work, users have to be connected to the Internet on their phones to access messages via their browser.

Currently, Apple iPhone users who have WhatsApp installed are not able to choose the option because of what the mobile messaging firm said are “Apple platform limitations”.

Those using Android, BlackBerry, Nokia S60 and Windows devices will be able to enjoy the service.

The move to expand WhatsApp to the desktop comes after social-media giant Facebook paid an eye-popping US$19 billion (S$25 billion) to acquire the app in February last year.

Last October, Mr Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s co-founder and chief executive officer, said he wants to take the app quickly to a billion users.

WhatsApp currently has 700 million users — by far the world’s most-popular mobile messaging app. Its main rivals are WeChat from China, Viber, which was developed by a Las Vegas and Cyprus-registered firm, and LINE, which is owned by Internet portal Naver from South Korea.

WhatsApp is, however, not the first mobile messaging firm to introduce the desktop chat option, as WeChat and LINE have offered the function.