Washington, July 22 (QNA) - Meta is planning to stop the native WhatsApp application for Windows and replacing it with a web-based version, just months after introducing a native iPad app.

This means the desktop experience will essentially be a packaged version of web.whatsapp.com. The new version will consume more RAM, have slower startup times, and offer a less integrated Windows 11 experience, with features like jump lists and live previews being removed.

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.

WhatsApp originally launched as a native app on Windows just a few years ago, and it allowed users to run the app without having to directly sync to your phone. (QNA)