Meta “breaks” WhatsApp for Windows — what happened

Meta has abandoned the native WhatsApp app for Windows 11 and switched it to a WebView2 wrapper that simply loads the web version of the service. Tests show that after this "update," the messenger constantly occupies around 1 GB of RAM and performs noticeably slower than the previous version.

Windows Latest reports this.

What the problem is

WhatsApp on Windows has come full circle: it started as an Electron-based app, then was replaced by a native UWP/WinUI version that had years of development invested into it. Now, four years later, Meta is abandoning this native implementation and moving the client to WebView2, which just loads web.whatsapp.com inside a program window.

One reason for this decision may be Meta’s recent layoffs: the team that developed the native WhatsApp client for Windows was likely dissolved. Maintaining a single web codebase is cheaper for the company, but users are left with a worse app experience.

Tests show that the new WhatsApp based on Chromium/WebView2 uses up to 300 MB of RAM already on the login screen, when the user is doing nothing. For comparison, the old native version consumed about 18 MB in the same mode and could drop to under 10 MB when idle.

After logging in, the situation worsens: while loading all chats, the new client spikes to 2 GB of RAM and averages around 1.2 GB while running in the background. With a large number of active conversations, memory usage may reach 3 GB. Meanwhile, the native WhatsApp typically stays within about 190 MB, drops below 100 MB when fully idle, and peaks at barely 300 MB.

The issue is not only about the numbers. The new app feels "heavy" and sluggish: the interface responds slowly, chats open with a noticeable delay, and overall responsiveness is significantly reduced. Additional problems have been recorded with integration into Windows 11 system features — incorrect notification behavior, conflicts with "Do Not Disturb" and "Active Hours," as well as delays in message delivery.

The WhatsApp update to version 2.2584.3.0 is already being gradually rolled out for Windows 11 via the Microsoft Store, replacing the native WinUI/UWP client. If users do not install the new version, they can stay on the old app for a while longer — but eventually everyone will be forcibly logged out of the native version and migrated to the WebView2 client.

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