4 ms·

WhatsApp rolls out voice and video calls to desktop app

9 points by jmsflknr 6y ago

herbst 6y ago
Kinda late. That, or rather the non existing web client to begin with, were the main reason i never used it. Now most people in my circle have it removed anyway.
simonh 6y ago
An iPad app would be nice too. WeChat has been around for ages, I have Chinese family, why does everyone else find this so hard?
- londons_explore 6y ago
  The crypto stuff is holding them up. Group video calls with e2e encryption require big tradeoffs. WeChat doesn't bother with privacy/security.
  - perryizgr8 6y ago
    I doubt it is that hard to implement. They can set up some sort of key sharing between the mobile and desktop client. Then the desktop client becomes a full-fledged participant. Ask the user to hold the phone screen in front of the webcam and show a QR code with the private key. They do have group video calls with e2e on mobile, no reason they can't do it on desktop/tablet.
    - londons_explore 6y ago
      Alice has a malicious Chrome extension which steals cookies and secret keys... Now all of her messages, and chat messages from her friends, and groups she's part of, have all messages intercepted, and all historic messages leaked. Video chat is expected to be emphererial by users, and having a malicious chrome extensions steal it breaks those expectations. It's hard because desktop as a platform has far fewer security guarantees, and a user isn't just putting their own data at risk, but that of their friends and contacts too. Facebook has been burned by pretty much the same with Cambridge Analytica.
      - perryizgr8 6y ago
        I don't buy this argument. By that logic all of internet banking should also disable web/desktop access? Zoom, skype and google meet should also stop working on the desktop/web, and only allow users through their mobile apps. Yeah desktop is inherently less secure because of the freedoms it affords users, but that doesn't prevent Facebook from operating their website.
      - simonh 6y ago
        They don’t even have an iPad app. Clearly they’re just not interested in trying. If a browser interface isn’t secure, do a native client, or even an Electron app. WeChat has native Windows and Mac apps.
squarefoot 6y ago
Just make something that I can use on WiFi only devices like a tablet or laptop and doesn't require Android. There's still people around who don't use smartphones.
- selfhoster11 6y ago
  There's KaiOS, but Whatsapp version for that OS doesn't support voice/video chat.

9 points by jmsflknr 6y ago

Kinda late. That, or rather the non existing web client to begin with, were the main reason i never used it. Now most people in my circle have it removed anyway.

simonh 6y ago

An iPad app would be nice too. WeChat has been around for ages, I have Chinese family, why does everyone else find this so hard?

londons_explore 6y ago
The crypto stuff is holding them up. Group video calls with e2e encryption require big tradeoffs. WeChat doesn't bother with privacy/security.
- perryizgr8 6y ago
  I doubt it is that hard to implement. They can set up some sort of key sharing between the mobile and desktop client. Then the desktop client becomes a full-fledged participant. Ask the user to hold the phone screen in front of the webcam and show a QR code with the private key. They do have group video calls with e2e on mobile, no reason they can't do it on desktop/tablet.
  - londons_explore 6y ago
    Alice has a malicious Chrome extension which steals cookies and secret keys... Now all of her messages, and chat messages from her friends, and groups she's part of, have all messages intercepted, and all historic messages leaked. Video chat is expected to be emphererial by users, and having a malicious chrome extensions steal it breaks those expectations. It's hard because desktop as a platform has far fewer security guarantees, and a user isn't just putting their own data at risk, but that of their friends and contacts too. Facebook has been burned by pretty much the same with Cambridge Analytica.
    - perryizgr8 6y ago
      I don't buy this argument. By that logic all of internet banking should also disable web/desktop access? Zoom, skype and google meet should also stop working on the desktop/web, and only allow users through their mobile apps. Yeah desktop is inherently less secure because of the freedoms it affords users, but that doesn't prevent Facebook from operating their website.
    - simonh 6y ago
      They don’t even have an iPad app. Clearly they’re just not interested in trying. If a browser interface isn’t secure, do a native client, or even an Electron app. WeChat has native Windows and Mac apps.

squarefoot 6y ago

Just make something that I can use on WiFi only devices like a tablet or laptop and doesn't require Android. There's still people around who don't use smartphones.

selfhoster11 6y ago
There's KaiOS, but Whatsapp version for that OS doesn't support voice/video chat.