WhatsApp has decided to abandon its native Windows 11 app built on Microsoft’s Universal Windows Platform (UWP), reverting instead to a Chromium-based WebView wrapper. Essentially, this means that WhatsApp on Windows will now run the web-based version of the messaging service encapsulated within Microsoft’s Edge WebView2 framework, rather than utilizing native Windows components. On the surface, this strategy simplifies things significantly for Meta, allowing it to streamline development and maintain one unified codebase across all desktop platforms, whether it’s Windows, macOS, or Linux.
However, this convenience comes at a clear cost to the user experience. Early adopters of the new Chromium-powered WhatsApp are already noticing considerable drawbacks. For starters, the RAM usage has reportedly jumped by roughly 30 percent compared to the native application, which could negatively affect users who regularly multitask or rely on efficient system resource management. The application’s performance feels noticeably heavier, potentially slowing down other tasks running simultaneously.
Another prominent downside is the loss of the native design and seamless integration previously offered by the UWP-based app. Windows 11 emphasizes visual consistency through Microsoft’s Fluent and WinUI design elements, which the native WhatsApp app had adopted to great effect. The shift back to a Chromium wrapper strips away much of this aesthetic appeal, leaving behind a generic interface that feels less cohesive and noticeably out of sync with the rest of the Windows environment.
Ironically, Meta itself once praised the benefits of native applications, emphasizing smoother performance, better reliability, and deeper integration. By moving in the opposite direction, WhatsApp is prioritizing simplicity and consistency across platforms at the expense of the premium feel and responsiveness that many desktop users have come to expect.
Ultimately, this change might not heavily affect casual users, but power users and enthusiasts accustomed to the polished feel and efficient performance of a truly native application will undoubtedly find the move disappointing.