WhatsApp no longer needs to be explained to any tech savvy person.
However, if you are not aware of this app, then you should know that it’s the most popular instant messaging app for mobile phone users.
When we say WhatsApp is a popular app for mobile phone users, it means this app cannot be directly installed on a PC, be it a Windows PC or a Mac. However, this does not completely rule out the capability to use WhatsApp on a desktop. It is still very possible to enjoy the full capabilities of this app from a desktop.
Installation of this application on a PC is a very simple task. First of all you’ll need an emulator and the best you can get around is BlueStacks. However, there are other emulators like Andy and Youwave which offer pretty much the same services as BlueStacks, but on a lower scale. The BlueStacks Android emulator will let you install not just WhatsApp, but any other Android app on your Windows PC or laptop.
You will still be able to access the core features like webcam services through the BlueStacks application and thus, you can still use the “Take a picture” feature of WhatsApp and send photos of you to friends.
System requirements
In order to enjoy an exceptional experience of using Android apps on your desktop, it is important that you ensure your system is equipped with a minimum RAM of 2GB, a dual-core processor that is clocked at a speed of 1.6GHz and a relatively fast internet connection.
How to download and install WhatsApp on Windows 7/8/8.1
After the above are all set up, go to the official BlueStacks website, download and install the latest version onto your PC. Click on the search button in the emulator and search for WhatsApp. You can go ahead and install the app inside this Android emulator runtime.
It is recommended that you use a new phone number to verify your account. This is because when you install this app using the BlueStacks emulator, it will migrate the phone app to your desktop, rendering the phone app useless. Thus, you should use a new number to create a new WhatsApp account if you don’t want to risk this. Simply insert your new SIM in a phone for a short period until you are done with the verification process.
Don’t panic just in case your new number fails to verify. Just go ahead and select “call me” and WhatsApp will call you with a code for verifying your account. Insert this code in the PC application and complete the verification and registration process and that’s it.
How to use one WhatsApp account on a PC and mobile phone
As noted above, installing WhatsApp on your PC using the BlueStacks Android emulator will render the mobile app useless since everything will migrate to your PC. However, WhatsApp developers have found a way in which this can no longer be the case and instead, you can have a WhatsApp account on both your phone and PC.
Using WhatsApp Web, you can access your WhatsApp messages on your PC without having to render the phone app useless. In fact, you must have the phone app active in order to use the web client. There are however some basic requirements for using this client and they include being a user of Google Chrome web browser and you should be using a Windows Phone, BlackBerry or Nokia phone. Android users are also safe since it is only iOS devices that this app does not support.
You’ll also need to be using the latest version of WhatsApp on your phone. After the above requirements are in place, open the app on your phone and go to the menu where you’ll find a WhatsApp Web option. Tap on it to open it. On your Chrome browser, go to web.whatsapp.com and scan the QR code that appears on it using your phone. The application will log you in and from there, you will be able to use WhatsApp on your PC without having to lose the phone app or change your phone number.
You now have WhatsApp on your PC with the help of the WhatsApp Web client. You can receive as well as respond to all messages from your PC. Furthermore, these messages will also be available on your mobile phone app. However, make sure you log out of the PC client just in case you are using a shared computer at work or in a café.
Verdict
Using BlueStacks Android emulator to bring the WhatsApp experience to your desktop is amazing. However, it renders the phone application inaccessible and transfers everything to your PC. This means that you can only use your app from your PC and not your phone anymore. You must re-install the app on your phone in order to use it again.
On the other hand, WhatsApp Web will keep your phone app and still let you communicate from a desktop. However, this app has lots of things that limit the full functionality of the app. This means that even though you have the privilege of using the app on your PC and phone at the same time with WhatsApp Web, you won’t get the full functionality of WhatsApp on your PC as you would do when you use the BlueStacks Android emulator.
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