We are all on Whatsapp. Okay maybe not all but at least 600 million of us. The popular mobile app is now allowing users to access their chats on the computer through a service called WhatsApp Web. And guess what? It is using QR Codes to verify your identity. No Email ID. No username. No password. Your smartphone is your key to use WhatsApp Web.
But first things first.
Whats a QR Code?
A QR Code is a 2D barcode that can store much more information than a traditional 1D barcode. The information can be decoded simply by scanning the QR Code with a smartphone application.
QR Codes are now commonly used for marketing & advertising, authentication, and inventory management. To know more about QR Codes, learn how to work with them.
How WhatsApp Web is using QR Codes for authentication?
When you first created a WhatsApp account, you were only required to provide your phone number and verify it. Now that WhatsApp is allowing users to access chats via their computer browsers, it needs to identify and authenticate them.
This is traditionally done via username and password but WhatsApp never generated such information. So the app is now using a neat way. Your WhatsApp app (already verified) on your smartphone is the key. Here is what you need to do:
1. Go to web.whatsapp.com on your computer browser.
Important: WhatsApp Web currently supports only Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Opera browsers.
2. On the main screen, you will see a QR Code. This QR Code is dynamic in nature and will change every few seconds.
3. Open WhatsApp on your smartphone.
Important: WhatsApp Web is only available for Android, Windows Phone 8.0 and 8.1, Nokia S60, Nokia S40 Single SIM EVO, BlackBerry and BB10 smartphones. Unfortunately, the service is currently unavailable for iPhones.
4. Click the ‘More Options’ button on the top right corner and click on ‘WhatsApp Web’
5. From this screen click on the ‘+’ sign on the top right corner to open the scanner.
6. Using this Scanner, scan the WhatsApp QR Code on your browser screen to complete the authentication process.
Now you will be able to view your chats on your computer as well. Note that you will need a stable internet connection on both your phone and computer for WhatsApp Web to work.
You can log out from WhatsApp Web easily from your WhatsApp on your phone.
Thats it! You are all set to use WhatsApp Web. Still have questions? Ask in the comments section below.
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