WhatsApp Launches Mac App With Video Calling for 8 People
The messaging app is continuing its bid to compete with Zoom and Teams.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Facebook parent company Meta, has just launched an app for Mac computers.
In the continuing bid to compete with business video-calling giant Zoom, the WhatsApp Mac app includes group audio and video calls for multiple people.
"Group calls up to 8 people on video and 32 on audio," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Instagram broadcast channel Tuesday morning.
WhatsApp had earlier launched a desktop app for Windows. Both desktop apps include end-to-end encryption of calls and chats across devices.
How to download WhatsApp for Mac
The app will be available in Apple's App Store soon, but for now here's how to download it onto your Mac:
- Head to the WhatsApp website.
- Hit the green download button in the top right corner.
- There will be three options for download: Android, iOS and Mac. Hit the download button under Mac.
- The download will begin. Once it's done, click on the file.
- Drag and drop the green WhatsApp file into your Applications folder.
- You can then open the Applications folder to see the WhatsApp app, and click on it to run it.
- Log in to your account or set up a new one to get started.
WhatsApp for Mac requires MacOS 11 or later.
WhatsApp for Mac: new features
- You can select to receive incoming call notifications while your app is closed.
- You can now drag and drop files from your desktop into a chat to share them.
The new app follows WhatsApp this month introducing screen sharing during video calls.
During the past few months, Meta has been focused on expanding the use of WhatsApp by way of new features, including instant video messages, channels to follow people and brands, locking your intimate chats, editing sent messages, Wear OS integration, and the ability to use WhatsApp across multiple phones and move your messages to a new phone.