WhatsApp is dropping its native Windows app that Microsoft exec called 'exemplary modern Windows app'
has quietly rolled back WhatsApp's native
Windows
11 application, replacing it with a
Chromium-based web wrapper
that sacrifices performance for development convenience.
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The change, currently available in beta, marks a disappointing retreat from the company's previous commitment to platform-specific optimization.
The new version essentially packages web.whatsapp.com into a desktop container using Microsoft's
WebView2 technology
, creating multiple subprocesses that consume approximately 30% more RAM than the original native app. Windows Latest first identified the transition by examining Task Manager, which now shows several WebView2 helper processes handling graphics, networking, and storage operations.
Why WhatsApp is changing its app on Windows
The shift represents a stark departure from WhatsApp's previous UWP/WinUI implementation, which operated as a lightweight, single-process application using Windows' native UI toolkit. The original app was celebrated by Microsoft executives, including former Windows chief Panos Panay, as an exemplary modern Windows application.
Meta's own support documentation ironically contradicts this decision, stating that native apps "provide increased performance and reliability" along with superior notification experiences, calling capabilities, and screen sharing functionality.
The web-based replacement offers a more basic settings interface and altered notification behavior that feels disconnected from Windows 11's design language.
What's new with the WhatsApp web wrapper app on Windows 11
The beta version include some advantage over the previous app, bringing
WhatsApp Channels
and enhanced Status and Communities features that were previously available only through the web interface. However, these additions come at the cost of the streamlined, integrated experience that made the native Windows app distinctive.
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The transition also allows Meta to maintain a single codebase across all platforms rather than developing platform-specific applications.
Meta has not announced when the web-based version will replace the current native app for all users.
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