Now you can join a group call after it’s started, see your call history and choose to receive incoming call notifications even when the app is closed. In theory, these let developers create an app once that's usable across multiple devices. With the new WhatsApp app for Mac, you can now make group calls from your Mac for the first time, connecting with up to 8 people on video calls and up to 32 people on audio calls. Nowadays, even after the collapse of Windows 10 Mobile, apps on the Store often run across Windows 10, Xbox One, HoloLens, and other platforms. The idea was to offer apps that worked on desktop Windows as well as Windows Phone. Universal Microsoft Store AppsĪs you might remember, Microsoft pushed the new Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps (called Metro apps during Windows 8) pretty hard. WhatsApp is free and offers simple, secure, reliable messaging and calling, available on phones all over the world. Use WhatsApp Messenger to stay in touch with friends and family. Longtime Windows users may wonder why Microsoft even bothered to release an app store like this.įrom the company's perspective, this was mainly for two reasons: uniformity across platforms, and security of the OS. Simple, reliable, private messaging and calling for free, available all over the world. Android has Google Play, macOS and iOS have the App Store, and Linux has several storefront repositories.
Now, the lines between app types are blurred, as Store apps run in a window just like traditional desktop programs.Ĭheck out our overview of the Microsoft Store for more info, if you're new to it.įor some time, Windows was the only major platform not to offer an official marketplace for apps. In addition to apps, the Microsoft Store carries games, movies, TV shows, and Edge extensions. This marketplace was carried into Windows 10 and eventually renamed the Microsoft Store (not to be confused with brick-and-mortar Microsoft stores). At the time, these "Metro apps" were only available in full-screen and many people ignored them. The new app follows WhatsApp this month introducing screen sharing during video calls.ĭuring the past few months, Meta has been focused on expanding the use of WhatsApp by way of new features, including instant video messages, channels to follow people and brands, locking your intimate chats, editing sent messages, Wear OS integration, and the ability to use WhatsApp across multiple phones and move your messages to a new phone.Microsoft included its new app marketplace, called the Windows Store, with Windows 8. You can now drag and drop files from your desktop into a chat to share them.You can select to receive incoming call notifications while your app is closed.
WhatsApp for Mac requires MacOS 11 or later. Log in to your account or set up a new one to get started.