You cant
There is no official whatsapp app for Linux and all of the apps on the store rely on whatsapp web
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
You cant
There is no official whatsapp app for Linux and all of the apps on the store rely on whatsapp web
not even with wine?🍷
Actually I never tried with Wine... It may be an alternative
Last time I tried it (few months ago), it was booked :(
Step 1: Don't.
Video calling using Signal on Linux works perfectly.
And how many peoples' friends and family are on Signal vs WhatsApp? The whole point of these apps is socializing with people you know, so can you not see how useless of a suggestion it is to recommend Signal? And please don't get into the "just convince everyone to use Signal' argument because it's completely unrealistic.
Signal did itself no favors when it made the bone-headed move of removing SMS support in a delusional attempt at pushing users away from SMS and towards Signal's encrypted chat. All it did was result in a bunch of people uninstalling the app because it became annoying to use it just for Signal instead of Signal and SMS, which at least gave rise to a SMS user's eventual shift away from SMS. But we don't talk about that because open source is always good 😇
It's like saying modern clubs suck, so I'm going to invest my own club that the vast majority of people won't attend and those that do are almost all white dudes with the same generic "I'm not like other users" personality.
The whole point of these apps is socializing with people you know, so can you not see how useless of a suggestion it is to recommend Signal?
...you can socialize with all of the same people on Signal? So no.
Signal did itself no favors when it made the bone-headed move of removing SMS
Signal had absolutely never done anything remotely as "bone-headed" as collecting user data and using it to serve you ads.
And please don't get into the "just convince everyone to use Signal' argument because it's completely unrealistic.
It's not unrealistic. Most people are happy to.
almost all white dudes with the same generic "I'm not like other users" personality
Ah yeah, this seems like a problem for casual racism...
this is the way
I know nobody who uses signal 💀
And you never will if you don't tell them that's the only way they can reach you.
As long as you continue allowing them to message you on WA, that's what you'll get. And everyone else will have to deal with the consequences of your actions.
I'm guessing all the people suggesting to ditch WhatsApp have never been to Brazil. Everything there is done with it, you can buy groceries, medicine, do banking, get services, take out, etc... Getting the whole country to change will never happen. So, yes, while some of us do install Signal, none will ever uninstall WhatsApp...
What if Meta collapses and goes into bankruptcy?
We're seeing the fallout from a commercial service used for public interest communication falling in real time with Twitter, so many public service things that depended or still depend on Twitter have outright broke as it turns into raw sewage and people flee it. That should have NEVER been the main communications medium, and now the price is being paid. I understand as i too am in a place where WhatsApp is near-mandatory, but this is something that WILL have bad consequences sooner or later.
Then people will have a reason to change other than just for privacy concerns...
Pretty much the same in Mexico
The UK isn't quite that far, but it's absolutely the dominant text messaging and calling app in the UK. Nobody uses the built in Android or Apple tools anymore, and I'm as likely to receive a WhatsApp voice call as an actual phone call these days.
I have Signal on my phone, but I've literally never had a cause to use it; I've simply got no contacts on there.
Yup, WhatsApp is basically the Brazilian WeChat. If I uninstall WhatsApp I basically lose contact with my mom and a bunch of other people since I live in Canada.
my mom and a bunch of other people
People who aren't very close to you are one thing, but wouldn't your mom of all people be wiling to install Signal or your preferred alternative?
My mom is 70 years old and can barely use her phone. It took many years to convince her to get a smartphone.
Video calls are not supported under Linux afaik, since they don't enable it for the web version.
I wonder if they're supported on Windows with Chrome..? Maybe this is a case of simply replacing the UA string?
@sandayle Don't use WutzÄbb, Period
Ah yes, the obligatory "lol just don't use $thing" response. Helps nobody, but I guess it lets you feel superior.
I hate Facebook as much as anyone, but in the real world people don't always have the luxury of getting to use whatever you consider morally correct. Especially with a messenger – depending on where you are, Whatsapp might just be what most people are using, and the people are the reason you would use a messenger in the first place.
Ah yes, the obligatory "superiority" response. Because it's nothing to do with trying to improve your situation or preserving your rights or the rights of others, it's only about "superiority" LOL
I hate Facebook as much as anyone
I don't think you do.
in the real world people don't always have the luxury of getting to use whatever you consider morally correct.
Yes. They do. And the world is a shit place because they choose not to.
You're delusional, buddy
How so?
Because for some reason the anti WhatsApp crowd fails to understand that the majority of the people using WhatsApp would lose any social life if they just uninstalled. It's always the same. "Just don't use WhatsApp!". I'd literally not communicate with any of my family. I'd be the one weirdo that doesn't use WhatsApp and that then maybe gets invited to things if somebody remembers to call me or write me a text message.
Your family seems kind of shitty if they would refuse to install another app to communicate with you. Especially if that other app serves everyone's best interests...
I hate Whatsapp. I didn't use it for three years, but I have to use it for the last two years due to my work.
@sandayle I'm really sorry about that and you have my fullest condolences. Nobody should be forced to use non-free software
You can use jitsi both on mobile and desktop and it is platform agnostic, privacy respecting and FOSS. Just dont use whatsapp (video) at all.
Thank you, I like Jitsi but it is not always under my control. My supervisor sometimes calls me on Whatsapp and there is nothing I can do.
My supervisor was an FOSS guy. He used Linux, Libreoffice everything but he still insisted on whatsapp for informal communication. I guess network effects is hard to avoid.
Tell your supervisor WhatsApp doesn't work on your computer and suggest any of the several dozen alternatives.
Good plan, and don't mention that you use Linux. Just leave it nebulous so they don't think they can "voluntell" you to install Windows instead.
You could mirror your android phone using scrcpy but I never used it.
There is a Qt version for it on Linux
Using an Android emulator like Waydroid or compatibility layer like Anbox you might be able to use the Android version on Linux and pick up calls from there?
I have good experiences with Waydroid, but no experience with WhatsApp so I can't guarantee it will work, it's just a suggestion that I hope will help
I've had really good experience with Genymotion android emulation on Linux, even on underpowered devices. Might work well to do video calls
Waydroid has no camera passthrough
Interesting
Use Google Meet instead
For me the web version just says "my browser is not supported" even tho am on firefox