According to Windows Report | Error-free Tech Life, WhatsApp began forcing Windows users to a new desktop app starting with an update on December 9, 2025. Users are now seeing messages pushing them to the new version, which is not an optional upgrade. The core issue is that this new app is essentially a web wrapper for web.whatsapp.com, making it slower and heavier. Reports, like one from WindowsLatest, indicate it can use up to ten times more RAM than the old native client. The immediate outcome is widespread user frustration over noticeably weaker performance, and the only current workaround—pausing automatic updates—is a temporary fix.
Why this is a problem
Here’s the thing: wrapping a website in an app frame is basically the cheapest, laziest way to maintain a “desktop” application. It’s not a real desktop app. So you get all the downsides of a browser tab—bloated memory use, less efficient performance—without any of the native integration or speed benefits. And WhatsApp is forcing this on users who had a perfectly functional, lightweight native client. That feels like a massive step backwards, doesn’t it?
The bigger picture at Microsoft
This isn’t just a WhatsApp problem. It reflects a much broader and, frankly, frustrating trend at Microsoft. The company is all-in on pushing WebView2 (their embedded browser engine) for everything. We’ve seen it make parts of Windows itself slower and clunkier. So when a giant like Meta decides to go the same lazy route with WhatsApp, it’s following the platform owner’s lead. The result? A worse experience for everyone, and users are stuck in the middle.
What you can do about it
Look, the temporary workaround is to pause updates in the Microsoft Store to block the new app. But let’s be real: that’s a stopgap. WhatsApp will eventually force the upgrade, and you’ll be stuck with the slower, RAM-hogging version. It’s a classic platform move—remove user choice in the name of progress that isn’t actually progress. For now, all you can do is complain loudly and hope they reconsider. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.
