And WhatsApp is now one of the tons of web apps that global giants have been transitioning to, right? Not sure if it was yesterday or the other day but definitely within this week, when I just powered on my computer and tried to launch WhatsApp, the typical chat list window wouldn't show up and I was met with a sign-in screen and web interface instead. I checked my iPhone and verified that my computer was disconnected from my WhatsApp account. When I scanned the QR code to relink my computer, I was surprised that the old WhatsApp desktop interface with which I was quite familiar, was gone, and the even older web interface was back.
Comments
Is WhatsApp no longer accessible on Windows?
Sorry I don't use any of Meta's applications or services, save for the smart glasses and Meta AI app. Did they break accessibility, I do know there are a handful of NVDA add-ons for the Windows application.
@Bryan
It is now older versions of WhatsApp, it has some sort of web page style.
Re: Webpage style
So... it is accessible then? 😕
Clarification
WhatsApp has been testing this change in their beta version for quite some time now—around three to six months, if memory serves.
Previously, we had a fully native desktop app, and NVDA add-ons, along with all related features, worked beautifully. With the new version, however, the app is no longer native. Instead, selecting the WhatsApp icon in the Start menu launches a window that essentially loads the WhatsApp Web interface, very similar to what you’d see on web.whatsapp.com. As a result, NVDA add-ons and the useful keyboard shortcuts they provided are no longer supported.
I strongly encourage everyone to submit feedback through Meta’s official feedback channels. They do have a dedicated accessibility team, and they seem to be reasonably active in addressing ongoing issues.
Re: Clarification
Thank you for the clarification. That makes a lot more sense now.
WhatsApp beta
Install WhatsApp beta from Microsoft Store and there will be no accessibility issues.
https://aryaniraula.com.np/whatsapp-windows-accessibility/
Shame it's not as good on mac
This is one of the things I loved on windows as the whatsapp app on mac is, like most apps on mac, a mess to navigate. Sad to hear that it's hitting a few bumps on windows too. It's the main messaging service in europe, not sure why. iMessage, for some reason, has never really gained traction. I'd guess its because there are significantly more android users than there are in the states.
I'm hopeful if the beta is looking better.
Maybe, even in time, they'll fix the mac app. The older version was really good, then it did exactly this, became a messy web style interface, as far as I could tell, anyway.
@ mantanini
Came here with issues and found the solution. Thanks so much for this!
Update
Once again, I received a beta update, reverting back to WebView2. This is a disaster.
Why WhatsApp Hasn't Taken Off In The US?
I mean, it kind of has… but most people use either Messenger, RCS, SMS, or iMessage. This mainly comes down to US carriers offering unlimited text messaging, unlike in many other parts of the world. I’m sure someone here will expand on that, though.
no beta at this end
Australia also has unlimited texts, but if you're going to use cross-platform messaging, then you're going to use one of these many messaging apps available. In Australia, we don't care about the green bubble, blue bubble crap. The only people in my family that defaults to sending a text message is my older brother, and he's a Gen X.
I use WhatsApp because a majority of people use it. Sure, I could use iMessage, but I don't know who in my family uses iPhone or Android. So, in my case, it's just easier to use WhatsApp. Most people in my family either use WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. And Facebook Messenger is easy to use, easy-ish, if you ignore the focus issues. But most people, I think, in my contacts, do have WhatsApp. So, I default to WhatsApp. As for the Windows side, I'm not on any betas. I'm using the version that you get from the Windows Store, and so far, it works perfectly fine.
Re: no beta at this end
My reasoning for using iMessage, is pretty much the same reason you use WhatsApp. Everyone I know, that is to say everyone I know who uses some form of Messaging Service, uses iMessage or RCS. Since iMessage and RCS are so interconnected these days, for lack of a better definition, all of my android buddies have no problems communicating with me While I'm using iMessage, and vice versa. Being able to send multimedia back-and-forth without issue, getting those little messages such as, "buddy is typing…", Or, "message delivered/received/read", is pretty much all any of us really care about, at least over here. Do understand that I am not downplaying WhatsApp in anyway, shape, or form. Simply stating that here in the US, most of us folks are using iMessage or RCS, simply because it's there. And as Trenton Matthew stated above, we have unlimited talking and texting over here. 🤷🏻♂️
Again, clarification to remove any confusion
Whatsapp is now moving to a fully web-view based app, including Beta and the normal release version.
If you are seeing a desktop native app, that's almost certainly by chance, and even that is bound to go away when they flip some switch at server side or Microsoft Store decides to update everything.
The web-view app is horrible in terms of accessibility. And, I've seen even sighted folks complaining about it as the web-view version doesn't scale up properly when being resized. Plus it consumes more RAM with no improvements to performance.
Below links might help people understand.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows11/comments/1ouni27/meta_just_killed_native_whatsapp_on_windows_11/
https://www.theverge.com/news/710509/whatsapp-windows-app-web-wrapper-changes
yes ... I just update it today
well, I think It get back to the web view version..
it is difficult to change the notification sounds...