WhatsApp goes big on desktop with improved functionality

• WhatsApp recently updated its offering with a host of new features.
• The new app for Windows is substantially better than WhatsApp Web. 
• One key feature is the ability to make voice and video calls directly from the app on a Windows computer.

Popular messaging platform, WhatsApp, recently updated its offering with a host of new features, the most exciting of which is a new desktop app with improved functionality.

Last week, the meta-owned platform introduced a new app for Windows that a user can download to their computer, and it’s substantially better than WhatsApp Web - which many of us are familiar with.

One of the key features in the latest desktop update is the ability to make voice and video calls directly from the app on a Windows computer. This makes it easier for users to communicate with their contacts without having to switch between different devices or apps.

What's more, the Windows desktop app lets users make group video calls with up to eight people and audio calls with up to 32 people. It's a feature that's particularly useful for people who prefer larger screens for video conferencing. 

With this latest update, WhatsApp continues to expand its reach beyond mobile devices and offers more flexibility and convenience to its users through an elevated desktop experience on the platform.

Communities update 

Since the launch of "communities" last year - a feature that gives users the ability to bring related groups together into one community - the chat platform has been working to make it better.

In its latest update, WhatsApp will give group admins more control over who can join the group through an invite link and the ability to make their group joinable in a community. 

WhatsApp will also allow users to see which groups they have in common with someone by simply searching for a contact's name. 

"Groups are where people have some of their most intimate conversations and it's important that admins are able to easily decide who can and cannot come in," WhatsApp said in a blogpost.