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WhatsApp Web guide

What's new in WhatsApp Web

Every change that matters if you use WhatsApp on a computer, by date, with its source: from the day the phone no longer had to stay online to calls in the browser and the 2026 pricing changes for businesses.

Published by Airtime Media ยท facts checked

WhatsApp Web and the desktop apps

  1. A paid tier appears: WhatsApp Plus

    Meta introduces WhatsApp Plus at $2.99 a month with themes, icons, special stickers and more pinned chats. WhatsApp Web and linking devices stay free. Source

  2. Two-step verification becomes a password

    The six-digit PIN is replaced by a password of at least eight characters with a letter and a number. Passkeys are offered under Settings, Account. Source

  3. Voice and video calls arrive in WhatsApp Web

    WhatsApp announces calling in the browser: one-to-one and group calls, screen sharing and a Calls tab, rolling out gradually. Until then only the desktop apps could call. Source

  4. PDFs open inside WhatsApp Web, and iPads can have their own account

    PDFs can be viewed, highlighted and annotated in the chat on web and desktop. The iPad app can now register an account of its own instead of only being linked. Source

  5. Usernames can be reserved

    WhatsApp opens username reservations ahead of a gradual launch. A username gives a wa.me/username link; it can be reserved on the phone only, not from WhatsApp Web. Source

  6. Two accounts on one iPhone

    iOS gets what Android already had: two WhatsApp accounts logged in on one phone. Each account links to WhatsApp Web separately; the web client cannot switch between them. Source

  7. Meta warns about device-linking scams and adds an alert

    Scammers trick people into linking the scammer's browser with a QR code or an eight-character code. WhatsApp now shows a warning, with the origin of the request, when a linking attempt looks suspicious. Source

  8. "GhostPairing" is documented

    Researchers at Gen Digital describe an attack that abuses linking with a phone number: a fake page relays WhatsApp's real eight-character code and asks the victim to enter it. Report

  9. A media tab on Mac, Windows and Web

    Documents, links and media from all chats become searchable in one place on the desktop apps and WhatsApp Web. Source

  10. The Windows app becomes WhatsApp Web in a window

    According to Windows Latest, the Microsoft Store app is replaced by a version that loads WhatsApp Web inside a WebView2 container; users are logged out once and link again. WhatsApp has not commented. Report

  11. WhatsApp for iPad

    An official iPad app launches, with calls for up to 32 people, Stage Manager and Split View. It links to a phone like a computer does. Source

  12. The rebuilt Mac app reaches the Mac App Store

    WhatsApp's new Mac app, built with Apple's Catalyst and offered as a direct download since August 2023, arrives in the Mac App Store and replaces the older Electron client, as reported by iDownloadBlog. Report

  13. Code Verify

    Meta releases an open-source browser extension, with Cloudflare as an independent third party, that checks whether the WhatsApp Web code in your browser is the published one. Source

  14. Multi-device: WhatsApp Web no longer needs the phone online

    WhatsApp describes the architecture that gives every linked device its own encryption keys, so a computer keeps working while the phone is off. It is the basis of today's four linked devices. Source

WhatsApp for business

  1. Coming

    Replies inside the 24-hour window stop being free without limit

    Meta starts charging service messages at the utility rate, after a free allowance of 1,000 per phone number per month. Utility templates sent inside an open window are charged from the same day. Source

  2. Meta's own Business Agent is billed per token

    Meta's AI agent for businesses on the Platform is charged at $2.00 per million tokens, which Meta estimates at about 4 to 5 US cents per message. Source

  3. Marketing rates rise in the UK, Spain and Italy

    Meta's quarterly rate card raises marketing template rates for the United Kingdom, Spain and Italy and lowers them for Poland. Rate cards change only on 1 January, 1 April, 1 July and 1 October. Source

  4. General-purpose AI assistants are barred from the Business Platform

    The Business Solution Terms exclude AI providers whose assistant is the product itself, with an exception for users with EEA or Brazilian numbers. Bots that serve a business's own customers remain allowed. Source

  5. The On-Premises API stops working

    The last self-hosted API client expires; messages to and from numbers still on it are no longer delivered. The Cloud API, hosted by Meta, is the only form of the Platform. Source

  6. Per-message pricing replaces conversation pricing

    Meta charges per delivered template message, by category and by the recipient's country, instead of per 24-hour conversation. Utility templates inside an open service window become free. Source

  7. Marketing templates to US numbers are paused

    Meta stops delivering marketing templates to United States phone numbers. Meta's documentation still describes the pause as in force; the start date is reported by ManyChat's help centre. Report

  8. Service conversations become free

    Replies inside the customer service window are no longer charged. This is the rule that ends on 1 October 2026. Source

How this list is kept

An entry is added when WhatsApp or Meta announces a change, or when its Help Center or developer documentation changes what our guides say. Each one links to the page where it was read. Where a change was never announced and is known only from reporting, the entry says "Report" and names the outlet in the text. Rumours and beta features are left out until they ship.

Related guides

Sources

Checked against WhatsApp's own help pages in , and re-checked every month. WhatsApp changes its apps often; if a menu has moved, the official Help Center has the last word.