WhatsApp Web: What it is, how it is used and comparison with the mobile app

RockedBuzz
By RockedBuzz 9 Min Read

Today we are going to talk to you in depth about WhatsApp Web, and we are going to do it by explaining what it is, how it is used and what are the differences that separate it from the mobile client of the messaging application. Because even though they are clients created for the same service, there are some important differences between them.

We could say, for example, that it gives the feeling that WhatsApp does not want you to use more functions in your browser than chat, leaving out some important functions that would have made it enter the league of applications such as Skype. We will show you these differences clearly in a comparison table.

What exactly is WhatsApp Web

Use whatsApp from laptop or desktop without any software | WhatsApp Web |Use whatsApp from laptop or desktop without any software | WhatsApp Web |

WhatsApp Web is a method with which you can access the application from your browser. It is an official service of the app, so you have the assurance that all functions will be controlled by the same company responsible for the messaging application.

However, we cannot say that it is a web client, since the connection to WhatsApp is not made through the web page, but this page connects to your mobile and through it accesses the service. In this way, all conversations and images you handle will be downloaded from the server and uploaded to the web directly from your mobile phone.

Read AlsoWhatsApp Web vs WhatsApp: what can and cannot be done on the web compared to mobile

This means that if you do not have your mobile nearby you will not be able to use WhatsApp Web. In the same way, if the mobile is turned off or the application fails, you will see that an error appears on the web page. This in theory gives you a layer of security since no one will be able to access your WhatsApp from your computer, but it turns the “client” into something a little more annoying to use.

How to configure WhatsApp Web

Using WhatsApp Web is relatively simple. The first thing you have to do is enter web.whatsapp.com, which is the main page of the service. When you do, you will see an access QR code that you will have to scan with the mobile version of the service.

  1. To do this, open the WhatsApp application on your mobile. When you do, you will go directly to the Chats category , and there at the top right you will see a three-dot icon with which to display the options menu. In it choose the option called WhatsApp Web.
  2. When you do, you will get a kind of crosshair scanning through the rear camera of your mobile. What you have to do is point the camera at the QR code on the web, and the WhatsApp web client will automatically synchronize with the application you have on your mobile device.
  3. From this moment you will see exactly the same conversations that you have on your mobile, and you will be able to interact with your friends without any problem. Everything you write on the web you will see later on your mobile, as both services will be synchronized.

WhatsApp vs. WhatsApp Web

FUNCTIONWHATSAPPWHATSAPP WEB
SEND MESSAGESYesYes
SEND PICTURESYesYes
ADD FILTERS TO PHOTOSYesDo not
ADD COMMENTS TO PHOTOSYesYes
SEND MULTIPLE PHOTOS AT ONCEYesYes
SEND PHOTOS WITH THE CAMERAYesYes
SEND VIDEOSYesYes
SHARE DOCUMENTSYesYes
SHARE CONTACTSYesYes
SHARE LOCATIONYesDo not
SHARE AUDIOYesDo not
SEND EMOJISYesYes
SEND GIFSYesYes
SEND STICKERSYesYes
SEND VOICE MESSAGESYesYes
VOICE CALLSYesDo not
VIDEO CALLSYesDo not
ROOMSYesYes
VIEW STATUSESYesYes
CREATE STATESYesYes
SEARCH CONVERSATIONS AND CONTACTSYesYes
SEARCH WITHIN A CONVERSATIONYesYes
EDIT YOUR PROFILEYesYes
EMPTY CONVERSATIONYesYes
SET CONVERSATIONYesYes
ARCHIVE CONVERSATIONSYesYes
MUTE CONVERSATIONYesYes
MARK AS UNREADYesYes
SET PRIVACYYesDo not
CONFIGURE SECURITYYesDo not
SET NUMBER CHANGEYesDo not
CONFIGURE NOTIFICATIONSYesYes
SET WALLPAPERYesYes
CONFIGURE BLOCKEDYesYes
CONFIGURE AUTOMATIC DOWNLOADYesDo not
CHECK DATA USAGEYesDo not
ADD CONTACTYesDo not
CREATE GROUPYesYes
CREATE BROADCASTYesDo not
DARK MODEYesYes

Above you have a table in which we compare one by one which are the WhatsApp features that are not present in its version for browsers. As you can see, most of them are, although there are some quite important ones that are missing and it limits what could be a much more complete client.

Even so, the main chat functions are there, and you will have the entire repertoire of WhatsApp emojis as well as its search engine so you can send animated GIFs to your contacts. You can also send voice messages in case you don’t feel like writing. 

The first differences begin to appear when it comes to sharing elements in chats. If you click on the clip icon, only the most basic options will appear, such as sending photos, taking a photo with the webcam and sending it, sharing a document or sharing one of the contacts. However, when sending photos, the option to add filters is missing .

But there are two missing options. The first is to be able to share contacts with a user, although you will be able to access your contact list to start a new conversation. There is also the recorder function, a kind of advanced voice messages in which you do not need to press and hold the button to record and you can create messages of up to fifteen minutes.

Two other functions that are not currently available in the web version are calls. WhatsApp Web does not allow you to make voice calls, and you cannot use the video calling feature either. And it’s a shame, because having a computer with a webcam video conferencing could be very useful. What we are going to be able to do is initiate video calls of up to 50 people through Facebook Rooms, curious considering that you cannot make native calls.

WhatsApp Web is limited to conversations, so the entire status system is left out. If you want to use WhatsApp as if it were Snapchat, you will have to do it from your mobile, because today you do not have that option in the web client. What you do have is the dark mode in case you want to configure it.

How to enable dark mode on WhatsApp (Android)How to enable dark mode on WhatsApp (Android)

In any case, as you can see in the table, the vast majority of options that WhatsApp offers you are also available in its web client. It will be necessary to see if when they add new things they also take them directly to the web or they have to add another No to our table.

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