If we are WhatsApp users on Mac and still using the old version based on Electron, it’s time to update our application. Meta has confirmed that this version of the app will no longer be available in just 54 days. The notification has already started to reach users of the old version, warning that we must migrate to the new version of WhatsApp for Mac to avoid losing access to our chats on the computer.

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Why will the old version stop working?

This version of WhatsApp for Mac was created using Electron technology, which basically allows web applications to run on the computer’s operating system. Although functional, this approach has significant limitations, especially in terms of performance and functionality. Electron-based applications are usually slower, consume more resources, and lack several native features that significantly enhance the application.

Therefore, last year, Meta decided to rebuild the WhatsApp application completely for Mac using Apple’s Catalyst technology. With this, they ported the iPad application to Mac, ensuring much smoother performance and better integration with the operating system. The new version is therefore faster, more efficient, and better adapted to the system.

So, if we continue using the Electron-based version, we will receive a notification urging us to download the new version within 54 days. As WABetaInfo reported, after this time the old version will no longer be available, and we will no longer be able to access our chats from the computer unless we have migrated to the new application.

The good news is that the migration process is simple and keeps all the information on your site.

How to get the new application and continue using WhatsApp on Mac?

To keep access to WhatsApp on our Mac, we simply download the new version of WhatsApp for macOS. We can do this directly from the official WhatsApp website or from the Mac App Store. However, the new version requires a Mac with macOS 11 or later.

Once the new application is installed, all chats and contacts will be automatically synchronized, ensuring a smooth transition. Although some users resisted the change initially because the new application lacked certain functionalities, Meta has made the change mandatory. After the process is finished, we can drag the old application directly to the Mac trash.

In the coming days, while WhatsApp copies one of Instagram’s most popular features and prepares to allow us to redesign our chats to make them look amazing, the update notification will continue to spread. This way, we will know for sure if we need to update to continue using WhatsApp on Mac. If we do not receive the notification, we are already using the latest version of the application, and do not need to do anything. Meanwhile, if the notification appears at the top of the conversation list, updating takes only a minute.