Why Whatsapp Web does not really matter (right now)

Whatsapp has always done things their way and it has served them quite well. In fact, they became the world's most popular messaging service with 700 million users in Jan 2015, leaving such veterans of the IM world like Skype trailing far behind. A significant achievement for a company which started off only in 2009. And they did all this without having a desktop presence at all. 

But all that changed last month with the launch of Whatsapp Web, a Chrome based web app for Whatsapp. For a service which has grown so rapidly primarily due to its support for multiple platforms, it was a bit of a surprise when I found out that Whatsapp Web works only on the Chrome browser and does not even support iOS yet (because of iOS's stricter restrictions on how apps can handle data). 

So does it come with any extra functionality to help offset this deficit? Will it help give your poor, overworked phone a break? 

Not really.

Getting to the web app itself is easy. Just fire up web.whatsapp.com on your laptop while locating the option called "Whatsapp Web" on the mobile app. The web app should display a QR code and the mobile app a scanner for the same. Scan the code and you will see the all too familiar Whatsapp interface blown up for the big screen. And that's all there is. Your list of messages and contacts should be on the left and the message you select on the right pane. There are some few options for notifications and stuff like that but that's mostly it.

 
Messages are still sent via your mobile, so you will still need your phone to be connected to the net (via either WiFi or data network). This ensures that all your messages are updated on the app as well, but kind of misses the whole point about having a web app.

What I like about Whatsapp Web:

• The sign in process with the QR code is really cool and certainly unique - no user id and password to remember
• Using a proper QWERTY keyboard for chatting really speeds up the entire process
• The two paned layout with your message history on the left and selected conversation on the right makes managing multiple conversations that much smoother
• Ability to look like you are working when you are actually Whatsapping in office

What I don't like:

• Dependence on my mobile, both for sign in and well, the entire messaging process
• App limited solely to receiving and sending messages - no option of changing profile picture, status, deleting messages and conversations etc.
• Extremely limited browser support

So for now, Whatsapp web appears quite limited beyond merely extending its mobile presence. Perhaps, its meant for much more (audio and video calling to almost anyone in the world via the web in the future?), but for now, it may not really be worth the hassle. 

Let me know if you've been using Whatsapp Web and how it's been working out for you.

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