Latest news with #WindowsApp
Phone Arena
23-07-2025
- Phone Arena
WhatsApp on Windows is about to change – and not everyone will like it
Right now, there's a native WhatsApp app for laptops and PCs running Windows. It has quite a lot of features and looks pretty good. But apparently, the app may become worse because of a decision by Meta for its future development. Meta has hinted that the native WhatsApp app for Windows will no longer be available, and it will switch to a web wrapper. That is basically a web app that is packaged to look like a Windows app. The latest beta of WhatsApp includes some of the major changes that are probably going to come soon to the stable version of the app. For one, the app will look different from what it did before, and unfortunately (at least for now), it may be working more slowly. It is possible that it also consumes more RAM, and on top of it all, the notifications won't be as good as they are on a native Windows app. Image Credit - Meta Luckily, it's not just bad news. The web-based app will also reportedly bring one new feature, Channels. With that version of the app, Channels will be accessible on your Windows PC or laptop. Also, more functionality for Status and Communications is also likely to come with the web-based app. WhatsApp's native Windows app launched back in 2022. Meanwhile, the web version is likely going to be easier to maintain for Meta, so that's probably one of the reasons why the tech giant has decided to replace it. This would mean one less platform to maintain for bugs. Meanwhile, it's also likely that the higher RAM usage and somewhat slow performance could be ironed out by the company before the stable release of the web-based app. We'll have to wait and see to know for sure. Meta has not specified when the change will occur just yet.
The Verge
21-07-2025
- The Verge
WhatsApp is dropping its native Windows app in favor of an uglier web version
Meta is planning to drop its native WhatsApp Windows app in favor of a web wrapper version instead, just months after introducing a native iPad app. The latest beta version of WhatsApp on Windows includes the major changes, with Meta noting it has 'updated how WhatsApp beta looks and works.' Behind the scenes it's a big change to WhatsApp on Windows, moving it from a native Windows and WinUI app to the WhatsApp web version simply wrapped in a web view. That means not only does the app look different, but the way notifications work has changed and the settings UI is far more basic. The beta app also includes WhatsApp Channels and 'more functionality' for Status and Communities features. Meta is using Microsoft's Edge WebView2 technology in the latest WhatsApp beta, allowing it to easily package up its web version of WhatsApp into a desktop app. Windows Latest points out that this makes it easier for Meta to maintain a single code base, instead of having to also maintain a native Windows app. It's a disappointing change if you're a daily user of WhatsApp on Windows, especially as it means the web app won't look like it's part of Windows 11 anymore and will use more RAM than the native version. Ironically, WhatsApp even notes that native versions of its Windows and Mac apps 'provide increased performance and reliability, more ways to collaborate, and features to improve your productivity.' WhatsApp originally launched as a native app on Windows just a few years ago, and it allowed you to run the app without having to directly sync to your phone.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Microsoft is phasing out its Remote Desktop app in May
The Remote Desktop app for Windows is (almost) dead; long live the Windows app. Microsoft said on Monday that its legacy Remote Desktop client, which has already been replaced on other platforms, will no longer be supported on Windows after May 27, 2025. But you aren't losing any functionality here. You can still do tech support for your parents using built-in Windows functionality or the modern Windows app, which is somehow both the simplest and most confusing naming convention Microsoft's marketing team could have mustered. "Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation," Microsoft's Hilary Braun wrote on its Windows IT Pro Blog. "Users must transition to Windows App to ensure continued access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box." The company says connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked in the Remote Desktop app on the app's expiration date of May 27. For all other users, it will continue working but will no longer be supported. Increasing the confusion, Windows has a built-in Remote Desktop Connection app that will remain the only way to use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections after May 27. But Microsoft will eventually incorporate that into the Windows app. As notes, Microsoft warned that it would eventually replace the Remote Desktop with the Windows app when the operating system's namesake app launched last fall. The new app even arrived as an update to the Remote Desktop client on Apple's App Store. As for the, uh, interestingly named Windows app, the company likely chose that branding because it wants to move Windows increasingly to the cloud. Its Windows 365 service, introduced in 2021, even lets you stream a virtual version of the OS from any device. So, calling the unified app used to access cloud and remote PCs "Windows app" seems maybe slightly less bizarre from that angle. Still, a Reddit thread from the Windows app's September launch held some entertaining reactions from the company's fans. "Microsoft needs to collect all the staff responsible for naming or renaming their products in the past 15 years and shoot them into the sun," u/AlignedHurdle posted. Meanwhile, u/Shoddy_Eye7866 seized an opportunity to use the Xzibit meme: "Yo dawg, I heard you like Windows, so I took Windows App and put in your Windows so you can Windows while you Windows."
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Yahoo
Microsoft is phasing out its Remote Desktop app in May
The Remote Desktop app for Windows is (almost) dead; long live the Windows app. Microsoft said on Monday that its legacy Remote Desktop client, which has already been replaced on other platforms, will no longer be supported on Windows after May 27, 2025. But you aren't losing any functionality here. You can still do tech support for your parents using built-in Windows functionality or the modern Windows app, which is somehow both the simplest and most confusing naming convention Microsoft's marketing team could have mustered. "Starting May 27, 2025, the Remote Desktop app for Windows from the Microsoft Store will no longer be supported or available for download and installation," Microsoft's Hilary Braun wrote on its Windows IT Pro Blog. "Users must transition to Windows App to ensure continued access to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box." The company says connections to Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop and Microsoft Dev Box via the Remote Desktop app from the Microsoft Store will be blocked in the Remote Desktop app on the app's expiration date of May 27. For all other users, it will continue working but will no longer be supported. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Increasing the confusion, Windows has a built-in Remote Desktop Connection app that will remain the only way to use Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections after May 27. But Microsoft will eventually incorporate that into the Windows app. As notes, Microsoft warned that it would eventually replace the Remote Desktop with the Windows app when the operating system's namesake app launched last fall. The new app even arrived as an update to the Remote Desktop client on Apple's App Store. As for the, uh, interestingly named Windows app, the company likely chose that branding because it wants to move Windows increasingly to the cloud. Its Windows 365 service, introduced in 2021, even lets you stream a virtual version of the OS from any device. So, calling the unified app used to access cloud and remote PCs "Windows app" seems maybe slightly less bizarre from that angle. Still, a Reddit thread from the Windows app's September launch held some entertaining reactions from the company's fans. "Microsoft needs to collect all the staff responsible for naming or renaming their products in the past 15 years and shoot them into the sun," u/AlignedHurdle posted. Meanwhile, u/Shoddy_Eye7866 seized an opportunity to use the Xzibit meme: "Yo dawg, I heard you like Windows, so I took Windows App and put in your Windows so you can Windows while you Windows."
