Many believe that Universal Windows Apps are dead, but Facebook isn’t quite quitting on it just yet. As spotted by Aggiornamenti Lumia, WhatsApp has launched a new UWP app on Windows 10 and Windows 11 in beta, and it sports some new features.
Separate from the WhatsApp Desktop app that you can already download, this new UWP app has several improvements over the latter and has been completely re-coded. It supports multi-device, and can work independently of your phone’s internet connection on up to 4 devices. There’s also a cleaner app design which is more in line with the web version of WhatsApp. That includes a slim header, compact settings menu, and support for toast notifications when the app is closed.
Another cool feature of this new UWP app though is the support for inking. Users can draw a picture using an inking pad, and then send it over to a recipient as an image. The app even remembers images saved to the clipboard and will auto-suggest you to attach them when you click the paperclip icon.
A UWP version of WhatsApp has long been requested, and it’s nice to see that Facebook finally delivered. You can try out this app now via the link below on both Windows 10 and Windows 11. The app is plenty speedy, and loads up very fast, and will be enjoyable if you’re a heavy WhatsApp user.
