It’s been a few years since WhatsApp made the jump from mobile to PC, through the PC application and the web version, WhatsApp Web . WhatsApp Web allows you to continue your WhatsApp conversations from a PC browser , without installing anything, although the experience is not exactly the same as when you use WhatsApp on mobile.
WhatsApp Web is a good tool to keep an eye on your WhatsApp without having to pick up your phone and with the convenience of being able to type with a traditional keyboard, although it still can’t do the same thing as WhatsApp on an Android or iPhone phone. Here we will tell you the differences between WhatsApp Web and the mobile app .
WhatsApp Web vs WhatsApp on mobile
It all starts by scanning a QR code
First of all, it is important to point out the main difference between WhatsApp Web and the mobile version, and that is that the web version does not work completely independently , at least for now. With WhatsApp’s new multi-device mode, you can use WhatsApp Web without having your mobile connected, but with limitations (you must log in with your mobile from time to time), and the account must continue to be created on the mobile.
This is the main difference between both versions of WhatsApp, although if we ignore the obvious fact that WhatsApp on the web has a larger surface than on the mobile screen, the experience on WhatsApp Web is very similar to that of the WhatsApp application . That is, except for a few functions that are not available, for various reasons.
What you can do on WhatsApp Web
Let’s start with what you can do on WhatsApp Web, which is quite extensive. WhatsApp Web is quite functional, so much so that at first it’s hard to notice that something is missing compared to the normal application. This is because all the basics are there , and the differences are found when you get out of the jack-of-all-trades of instant messaging.
That is, you can view your chat list, check out everything being sent in them – including photos, videos and stickers – and respond by sending your own stickers, photos and videos, as well as start new conversations and groups and check your friends’ statuses (but you can’t create them yourself).
There’s one thing you can do on WhatsApp Web that you can’t on WhatsApp on mobile : create stickers from any photo you have on your PC . This is something that’s not available on the WhatsApp mobile app right now, unless you use third-party apps.
WhatsApp Web includes a certain degree of customization , allowing you to switch between light or dark themes or choose from various background colors for chats. From the settings you can also manage the contacts you have blocked on WhatsApp. Here’s what you can do on WhatsApp Web, which you can also do in the WhatsApp app:
View your list of chats and groups, just like on mobile
Check your chats, with their photos, videos, emojis, stickers, voice notes and other elements
Create new chats and groups
Reply to chats with messages
Send voice notes
Send emojis, animated GIFs and stickers
React to messages
Send contacts
Send documents
Taking photos with the PC camera (or webcam)
Send photos or videos
Receive notifications when you receive new messages
Star messages and view featured messages
Modify the settings of a group of which you are an administrator
View a user and group profile
Manage chats (archive, mute notifications, leave group, pin, mark as read…)
Search messages
Modify your user profile by changing your photo, name and information
View your contacts’ WhatsApp statuses (or your own, which you have created with your mobile)
Edit photos with emojis, drawings, shapes
Change account, privacy or security settings
What you can’t do on WhatsApp Web
As we have seen before, WhatsApp Web allows you to perform all the basic communication actions, although the difference is in the details, such as the number of elements that can be sent to a chat (you cannot send the location, for example) or the lack of some additional functions, such as video calls or the creation of statuses . At least for now, since in theory calls and video calls will be added soon.
In general, WhatsApp Web has a simplified version of most of the features and options present in the mobile app. For example, you can send photos, but not add filters to them.
While WhatsApp is expected to expand the functionality of the web version over time, there are still many things that can be done in the WhatsApp app but not in WhatsApp Web. These are:
- Calls and video calls
- Add filters to photos or videos before sending them
- Share location (static or real-time)
- Share audio
- Create states
- Add contacts
- Create broadcast messages
WhatsApp vs WhatsApp Web: differences
In short, WhatsApp Web and the official mobile app share the core functionality with a few exceptions, but often the nuances and additional options are lost.
Here is a table with the main differences between these two versions of WhatsApp.
|
FUNCTION |
|
WHATSAPP WEB |
|---|---|---|
|
SEND MESSAGES |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND PHOTOS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
ADD FILTERS TO PHOTOS |
Yeah |
No |
|
ADD COMMENTS TO PHOTOS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND MULTIPLE PHOTOS AT ONCE |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND PHOTOS WITH THE CAMERA |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND VIDEOS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SHARING DOCUMENTS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SHARE CONTACTS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SHARE LOCATION |
Yeah |
No |
|
SHARE AUDIO |
Yeah |
No |
|
SEND EMOJIS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND GIFS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEND STICKERS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
CREATE STICKERS |
No |
Yeah |
|
SEND VOICE MESSAGES |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
VOICE CALLS |
Yeah |
No |
|
VIDEO CALLS |
Yeah |
No |
|
SEE STATUSES |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
CREATE STATES |
Yeah |
No |
|
SEARCH CONVERSATIONS AND CONTACTS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SEARCH WITHIN A CONVERSATION |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
EDIT YOUR PROFILE |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
EMPTY CONVERSATION |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
PIN CONVERSATION |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
ARCHIVE CONVERSATIONS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
MUTE CONVERSATION |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
MARK AS UNREAD |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
PRIVACY SETTINGS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
CONFIGURE SECURITY |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SET UP NUMBER CHANGE |
Yeah |
No |
|
SETTING UP NOTIFICATIONS |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SET WALLPAPER |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
CONFIGURE BLOCKED |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
SET UP AUTOMATIC DOWNLOAD |
Yeah |
No |
|
CHECK DATA USAGE |
Yeah |
No |
|
ADD CONTACT |
Yeah |
No |
|
CREATE GROUP |
Yeah |
Yeah |
|
CREATE DIFFUSION |
Yeah |
No |
|
REACT TO MESSAGES |
Yeah |
No |