WhatsApp Messenger, or simply WhatsApp, is a freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by Meta Platforms that is available worldwide. The software allows users to send text and voice messages, have audio and video conversations, and share photos, documents, user locations, and other content. WhatsApp’s client program is accessible for both mobile and desktop computers. You’ll need a cell phone number to sign up for the service. WhatsApp Business, a standalone company app aimed at small business owners, was introduced in January 2018 to allow businesses to interact with consumers who use the primary WhatsApp client.
Installation of WhatsApp in Linux Operating System
Method 1: Installation of Whatsapp using Terminal
Step 1: Prerequisite Required to install WhatsApp in Linux Operating System:
- To run privileged commands, you must have sudo or root access.
- Your server should have the apt or apt-get programme installed.
- Your server should have the snap utility installed.
Step 2: Your Operating System must be updated.
It’s usually good to update your OS first with the apt update or apt-get update commands, as illustrated below. This will download and install all of the newest Ubuntu Repository versions.
sudo apt-get update
Step 3: Install Whatsapp. The newest WhatsApp-for-Linux package may then be installed using the snap install WhatsApp-for-Linux command, as shown below. It’s worth noting that the Ubuntu Repo has an unauthorized version of the WhatsApp programme.
snap install whatsapp-for-linux
Step 4: Open WhatsApp. We may navigate to Activities and then type WhatsApp into the Search Box. It should look like this. We may open it by clicking on it. We can now scan the code and connect it to your system after being unlocked.
Method 2: Installation of WhatsApp using GUI
Step 1: To begin, launch the Ubuntu Software programme. Hold down the super key and put the application’s name into the search field to do so.
Step 2: You should see a programme catalog when launching the Ubuntu Software application. Then, navigate to the search bar within the app in the top left of your screen.
Step 3: Type “WhatsApp” into the search bar and pick the WhatsDesk app that looks like the one in the image below.
Step 4: Select the software from the Ubuntu interface to execute it after being installed.
When we first launch the WhatsDesk client, we are given instructions on how to use the programme by scanning a QR code and syncing it to our phone.
Method 3: Creating a desktop launcher for WhatsApp web
To access WhatsApp quickly on your Linux desktop, you can create a desktop launcher for it. Here’s how:
- Open your text editor and create a new file.
Copy the following code and paste it into the file:
[Desktop Entry] Name=WhatsApp Exec=firefox --new-window https://web.whatsapp.com/ Icon=whatsapp Type=Application Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
Note: Replace “firefox” with the name of the web browser you are using, and replace “whatsapp” with the name of the icon you want to use for the launcher.
- Save the file with the name “whatsapp.desktop” in the “~/.local/share/applications/” directory.
After saving the file, you should be able to see an icon for WhatsApp on your desktop. Clicking on this icon will launch WhatsApp Web in your default web browser.