For those of us tired of using the non-Apple Silicon version of WhatsApp on our M1 and M2 Macs, it’s time to get at least a little excited. Meta has been working on an update for native Apple Silicon support and the beta is out now.
As always, we’d say “Don’t go into a Beta unless you’re ready for some bugs and glitches,” but they can also be a fun way to see what a piece of software can do once it’s updated. Just be aware that some features may not work yet.
So long Rosetta, hello native WhatsApp
Previously only available to those in the Testflight program, the beta is now open to anyone with a WhatsApp account. What’s new with the Beta app and why should you give it a shot?
WaBetaInfo reports that the new Apple Silicon app will have a new design that is more cohesive with the rest of macOS and will run much faster on Apple hardware thanks to Mac Catalyst. Traditionally, the intel-specific WhatsApp would run in a Rosetta compatibility layer with associated hiccups and issues that won’t be present in the new app.
This is obviously the app for the best Mac rather than for your iPhone – although we’re still yet to receive an iPad-specific WhatsApp app as it uses the iPhone. Perhaps this could also see the app launch for Apple Silicon-based iPads.
The news of the Beta comes just as the new M2 Pro and Max chips become officially available in the all-new 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros and M2 Mac mini. With any luck, you’ll soon be able to download the Apple Silicon version of WhatsApp directly from the App Store, so you can use all the smart processing cores for something that isn’t video editing.
