And it could even run on Windows phones, if we’re lucky

May 8, 2019 08:17 GMT  ·  By

Earlier today, I reported that WhatsApp is getting ready to abandon its Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile clients on December 31, technically giving up on Microsoft’s mobile platform once and for all.

And while this move could be a fatal hit for Windows phones, which are losing official support later this year too, it looks like WhatsApp might have a surprising project in the works behind its closed doors.

WABetaInfo, who has a good track on WhatsApp scoops, reveals that WhatsApp is actually working on a UWP app for Windows. “It’s real,” a tweet published on Twitter reads without providing any other specifics.

At first glance, this can only be good news for the future of Windows devices. With Windows 10 Mobile losing support for WhatsApp, a UWP app would technically mean that smartphones could still be provided with access to WhatsApp all thanks to this new universal app.

What UWP actually means for WhatsApp

But because specifics are missing right now, I can’t help but wonder what UWP means for WhatsApp.

In theory, a UWP app is developed to run on more than just PCs, and back in the days when Windows 10 Mobile was still a thing, most new apps published in the Microsoft Store were able to run on desktops, smartphones, HoloLens, and other devices.

Now that Windows 10 Mobile is going dark, UWP apps have turned from universal to desktop-only, so there’s a chance that WhatsApp’s new app, despite being published in the Microsoft Store, would only support PCs and PCs only.

But even so, this is good news for Windows users, as the UWP app would also run on Windows 10 versions limited to the Microsoft Store, like Windows 10 in S Mode.

A confirmation of this project is yet to be offered, so take this with a healthy dose of skepticism for now.