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Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

blog.whatsapp.com

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Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#141

Post by mattlutze »

jeena wrote: post #136

Meh, no Linux support, so I'll still be using Viber even though my siblings in Germany and Switzerland always try to get me to install WhatsApp instead, appearantly it is super big there. Here in Sweden noone ever asked me to install it.

It sounds on its face that it works the same as, or similar to, the web.whatsapp.com webapp. Runs locally in your browser. It talks to your phone (over websockets, I think?) if the computer/phone are on the same wifi network, and then the chats fire out/in through the phone as normal.

That should work just fine for you, I'd imagine.

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#142

Post by ascorbic »

reitanqild wrote: post #123
ascorbic wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because I can't cmd-tab to it. Because it brings every Chrome window to front if I just want to read a message. Because it floats on top of Chrome whenever it's open. Because I can't easily move it between monitors, or to a different part of the screen. It's also really rubbish at uploading files. Why can't I drag and drop? And how about search? You're Google ffs. Why do I have to go to Gmail to search Hangouts, inst…

> Because it brings every Chrome window to front if I just want to read a message Are you using a Mac by any chance?

Yes, hence cmd-tab.

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#143

Post by raonyguimaraes »

aiNohY6g wrote: post #140

1/ phone tethering is the price to pay for end-to-end encryption: the support of multiple devices is not compatible with perfect forward secrecy, as the former require the asynchronous push of messages to all devices while PFS requires synchronicity (at least some kind of, as explained in their white paper here: https://lobste.rs/s/sx2f0r/whatsapp_encryption_overview_tech... 2/ if you don't like the Desktop App (or a…

Or you can use Whatsie [1] a simple & beautiful desktop client for WhatsApp Web.

https://github.com/Aluxian/Whatsie

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#144

Post by mattlutze »

tostitos1979 wrote: post #76
ignoramous wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember that there is no sign up, and that your mobile (phone number once registered via SMS OTP) is the only client their servers can trust. Imagine a scenario where you were to get rid of the phone number and had sessions open on the desktop and the web. WhatsApp servers have no way of knowing where the phone number went or if it will be online ever again or if you continue to own the phone number, or someone else…

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense because people give up their phone numbers from time to time. I did this myself. My understanding is that someone who claims my number cannot access my past data. But if it is "stateless" then a phone number doesn't have to be the only identifier. They can also use email. Heck .. here is an algorithm ... use phone number 555XXXXXXX .. take a person's email address and hash it to…

I guess if the point is for them not to store your messages on their servers once those messages have been delivered, how is WhatsApp to know whether to send a message to the session logged in from your phone, or to the desktop app with a different session, or to your work computer where you forgot to log out?

Being able to sync across all your devices requires they start storing all of your communications centrally, which defeats the whole information security model.

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#145

Post by what_ever »

Lx1oG-AWb6h_ZG0 wrote: post #84
ars wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That doesn't explain them actively blocking google voice numbers. Or home phone numbers (landlines) for that matter. Let people use a landline number on a tablet.

I've had it working perfectly well with my google voice number for years now. When did they start blocking it? The only problem I recall is that the initial text verification doesn't work - I had to do the phone call option - but this is a problem with gvoice, not WhatsApp: google blocks pretty much all server-triggered texts.

Yup, works for me as well!

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#147

Post by reitanqild »

ascorbic wrote: post #142
reitanqild wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Because it brings every Chrome window to front if I just want to read a message Are you using a Mac by any chance?

Yes, hence cmd-tab.

Ok, then that is the reason for the issues you see but you probably already knew.

Edit: removed lots of unnecessary text : )

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#148

Post by eps »

Julio-Guerra wrote: post #105

It seems to be nothing more than https://web.whatsapp.com/ in a web view. So I can't really see interest.

But, but... you get to run Facebook binaries on your desktop computer! Comes with a full access to everything, so it must be very exciting for at least one party involved.

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#149

Post by microtonal »

kawera wrote: post #31
jng wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess they could do an "untethered" desktop version but they don't really want to. Solve syncing of history etc but it's doable. But they just love living in your pocket. It's all about owning you, and that's easier if they stay with you all the time.

How could then sync end-to-end encrypted messages?

A possible procedure is described by Moxie here:

https://moderncrypto.org/mail-archive/messaging/2014/001022....

Re: Introducing WhatsApp's Desktop App

#150

Post by gcatalfamo »

tostitos1979 wrote: post #76
ignoramous wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember that there is no sign up, and that your mobile (phone number once registered via SMS OTP) is the only client their servers can trust. Imagine a scenario where you were to get rid of the phone number and had sessions open on the desktop and the web. WhatsApp servers have no way of knowing where the phone number went or if it will be online ever again or if you continue to own the phone number, or someone else…

This doesn't make a whole lot of sense because people give up their phone numbers from time to time. I did this myself. My understanding is that someone who claims my number cannot access my past data. But if it is "stateless" then a phone number doesn't have to be the only identifier. They can also use email. Heck .. here is an algorithm ... use phone number 555XXXXXXX .. take a person's email address and hash it to…

Giving phone numbers up, typical in the US, doesn't happen everywhere in the world.
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