The way we use Whatsapp could change forever thanks to two new apps from the Facebook group, one developed for the Apple world and the other for the Windows one
Update - The new WhatsApp UWP app for Windows (both 10 and 11) has been uploaded to the Microsoft Store, although it's in beta and is not yet indexed and, consequently, cannot be found with a normal search. Those who want to try it can download it from this link.
Original article
These are not official announcements, but very reliable and, above all, very important news: WhatsApp is creating two new apps that will change the way we use the chat platform in the future. The first app is for macOS "Catalyst", while the second is a "UWP" app. Two terms that won't mean anything to most people, but behind which lies great potential.
macOS Catalyst and UWP are, essentially, two sides of the same coin: that of apps that work on all devices, without the need to develop an app for each device. Catalyst is a platform created by Apple, while UWP is a development platform from Microsoft. The UWB app was unearthed by the Twitter profile ALumia_Italia and, apparently, is already almost ready, while the news of the arrival of the macOS Catalyst app we owe to the usual WAbetaInfo, notoriously very reliable on all the rumors concerning WhatsApp. To understand the scope of these two news, however, it is first necessary to understand how UWP apps and macOS Catalyst apps work,ì.
UWP apps and macOS Catalyst apps: what they are
UWP stands for "Universal Windows Platform" and is a development platform thanks to which programmers can create a single app, which works on all versions of Microsoft Windows (from Windows 10 onwards), on Xbox and with Microsoft HoloLens visors.
For a programmer this is very important, because it allows him to create a single app that adapts to different types of screens and, above all, to different types of input devices: on a Windows PC there are mouse and keyboard, on a Surface laptop there is also the stylus, on Xbox there is instead the controller.
A very similar discussion for Apple macOS Catalyst, which allows you to bring the same app on Mac and MacBook computers, iPhone smartphones and iPad tablets. Thanks to Catalyst, then, you can make sure that the same app works well on all devices even if the user uses Siri voice commands.
The two new WhatsApp apps
But let's get down to business: what will the two new WhatsApp apps look like? We only have comprehensive answers for the UWP one, which according to ALumia_Italia would be practically ready.
The WhatsApp UWP app starts up in just a second and is compatible with styluses: there's even a new Draw feature, which allows us to reply in chat by drawing something and sending it as a normal message. The app's notifications work even when it's closed, just as they do on smartphones.
The interface is very particular, but it could change quite a bit in the final version of the app: there are no statuses on the left and the settings are grouped into 6 sections (General, Account, Chat, Notifications, Memory and Help).
The WhatsApp app for macOS Catalyst, however, would be almost identical to the one for iPad (not yet officially released, but on which WhatsApp has been working for years). There would only be minor interface differences, which are necessary for the app to work properly on computers as well.