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WhatsApp just took another step toward pushing PC users to its new web app. If you open WhatsApp for Windows, you'll see a vague warning message that mentions "changes are coming to WhatsApp for Windows."
What that message fails to mention is that WhatsApp is shifting back to a wrapped web app. WhatsApp started testing its new web wrapper back in July. The move makes development easier for WhatsApp, but the change comes at the cost of system resources for users.
The warning message mentions the update starting on December 9, but it appears to be rolling out gradually.
The new version of WhatsApp can use an astronomical amount of RAM. Windows Latest performed testing earlier this month and saw the WhatsApp web wrapper consume up to seven times more RAM than its native counterpart.
I haven't seen spikes quite that high, but RAM usage can vary depending on how many active conversations you have.
The new WhatsApp is powered by WebView2, which is a factor in why it uses more RAM.
By WhatsApp's own admission, its native app is better than its web wrapper. The company used to have a support document that said (emphasis added):
"To improve the WhatsApp experience for desktop users, we've developed native apps for Windows and Mac operating systems. The Windows and Mac apps provide increased performance and reliability, more ways to collaborate, and features to improve your productivity."
That document has since been updated and no longer explains why a native app is better than a web app. Instead, WhatsApp simply explains the general benefits of WhatsApp for Windows, such as being able to share photos, send messages, and join Communities.
The main drawback of the new WhatsApp is that it's a wrapped web app, which means it uses more RAM than a native application. While it's perfectly fine to use RAM — unused memory is wasted memory — your experience can worsen if your PC is at its limit.
If many of your apps are inefficient or you want to use a more demanding app while also having WhatsApp open, it would be better if your messaging app used fewer system resources.
Considering the price of RAM these days, upgrading a PC with more memory is not a viable solution to WhatsApp switching to a web wrapper.
There are some improvements that come with the new version of WhatsApp, such as an improved Community experience. We'll have to wait until more people use the latest version of WhatsApp to properly gauge people's feelings about the update.
Let us know in the comments what you think of Meta's latest move for Windows users and what you think of the new webapp WhatsApp!
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