3175x175(CURRENT).thumb.jpg.b05acc060982b36f5891ba728e6d953c.jpg)
WhatsApp will soon log you out on Windows 11 to force you into an arguably worse experience
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."
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.
WhatsApp will log people out on PCs to swap to a wrapped web app.
(Image credit: Future)
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!
Hope you enjoyed this news post. Feedback welcome.
Posted Sunday 14 December 2025 at 3:42 am AEST (my time).
News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of November): 5,412
- scarabou
-
1
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.