Using WhatsApp on a Windows computer
WhatsApp Desktop lets you move your messaging from your phone to a Windows device. It copies your messages, contacts, and conversations so you can go through and respond to them without looking at your phone all the time.
The app complements WhatsApp on your phone. After setting them up, messages will be updated on both devices, making it easy to have ongoing and uninterrupted chats.
How it feels on Windows
WhatsApp Desktop on Windows is very much like a local app on your PC. It has the standard features like keyboard shortcuts, supports multi-windowing, and can stay on the background. So, you get notified of new chats through the Windows system very conveniently while you are at work.
Having a full keyboard at your disposal is obviously helpful when you need to type a lot of text, say for a long reply or something work-related. Besides that, copying pieces of text, sharing files, or even dragging pictures into the chat window will require no new skills from you as these actions are fully compatible with how Windows users operate.
Everyday messaging, just larger
Lots of the usual things you do are just the same on bigger screen. You can still send all kinds of messages, such as text, voice, photos, documents, and videos. Group chat work inside the app as they do on the phone, and there are features like mentions or replying to certain messages.
Similarly, voice and video calls are supported on compatible devices, whereby utilizing your computer’s mic and camera is perfectly valid. This arrangement can be more relaxed for extended chats.
Privacy and syncing behavior
The chats are locked on your phone, which is the main way to keep the end-to-end encryption going. If your phone gets disconnected, then your desktop app may stop syncing and won’t receive new messages until the connection is back.
However even when you phone is not on line, you can still do limited things thanks to new updates but the overall functionality will be on syncing only.
Who benefits most from WhatsApp Desktop
Desktop users are basically students, work-from-home employees, and anyone else who spends a lot of time on PC. They feel that WhatsApp desktop version helps in not getting distracted by switching devices, keeping all communication at one place.
Light users still use WhatsApp on the phone, but Windows app provides more convenience and speed for frequent messaging.
Availability for Windows users
Windows systems can get WhatsApp Desktop for free. It is a stand-alone program rather than a web page thus downloading it enhances user experience as well as system performance and stability.
Anyway, those who were already on WhatsApp will find the new WhatsApp Desktop version more like an addition giving them extra features than a complete substitution.