IM officially available on desktop

oke efagene

January 22, 2015 9:59 AM

In order to make use of this service, your phone will need to stay connected to the web for the client to work.

WhatsApp is now available on desktop, thanks to a web client that launched yesterday, January 21, 2015, for Chrome and Android via a new live page at web.whatsapp.com.

"The primary use is of course still on your phone," a spokesman said, "but there are people who spend time in front of a computer at home or at work and this will help bridge the two."

In order to make use of this service, your phone will need to stay connected to the web for the client to work. All user messages and information will still reside on the phone, but WhatApp is hoping the client will give users more flexibility.

According to a spokesman, the company is planning to bring the same experience to iOS, although the timeframe is still uncertain. In a subsequent blog post, the company said: "We really hope you find web client useful in your everyday lives."

With over 600 million active users, WhatsApp is one of the largest chat clients in the world, and the company's growth has fueled various rumours about their next move. In November 2014, WhatsApp partnered with Whisper Systems for end-to-end encryption, bringing strong security to an unusually broad user base.

Also in December 2014, the company's plans for voice-calling were revealed by images scraped from WhatsApp's public site, although the company has yet to publicly release the feature.

oke efagene