Last updated on December 17th, 2022 at 02:03 pm
Learn how to download and install the latest version of WhatsApp available on your mobile.
WhatsApp , also known as ‘Wasapp’, ‘Wuasap’ or ‘Whasap’, among other meanings, is the most widely used instant messaging application in the world. It has become one of those apps that we all use on a daily basis, and precisely for this reason it is important to know where to download it officially from and how to update it to the most recent version. In this article we will teach you how to download WhatsApp in 2022 and install it for free on smartphone, PC and tablet , how to download its official APK file and how to update WhatsApp to the latest version of 2022
Related: Guide to Enable WhatsApp Fingerprint in Phone Settings
First of all, you should know that there are two types of WhatsApp for Android to download : the one you can find on Google Play, which is the stable and ready-to-use version; and the beta version , which has the latest features although it may contain the odd bug.
If you’re only interested in the app store version, you can download it right now:
But if you want to know more, keep reading!
How to download WhatsApp for free on Android in 2022
There are several different ways to download WhatsApp. Depending on whether you want to do it through Google Play, by obtaining the WhatsApp APK or if you want to install WhatsApp for free on your PC or tablet.
Whatever method you are looking for, you can see the steps to follow in each case below.
Related: WhatsApp Transfer chats from an Android phone to iPhone, here’s how
Download WhatsApp from the Play Store
If you want to install WhatsApp on your smartphone, the easiest way is to use the Android app store. Also, thanks to Google Play, the application will be automatically updated on your Android with new features and security patches.
To download WhatsApp from the Play Store you just have to access the link below, press “Install” and that’s it, it will automatically download to your Android mobile and you can start using it. That easy!
Install WhatsApp without Play Store, from the official website
If you want to install WhatsApp without Play Store , you can download the installable APK file from WhatsApp’s own official website.
To do this, first of all, you will have to enable unknown sources on your Android . Simply go to Settings> Security> Enable unknown sources, so you can install the WhatsApp APK file . And don’t worry, because it’s the official version , so it’s free of viruses and malware.
To download WhatsApp in APK , go to the official website and click on the green button. You will see how a file called WhatsApp.apk is downloaded , which is the one you must install on your Android. Simply click on it and accept the installation.
Install WhatsApp beta for free
The beta version of WhatsApp allows you to test the latest news coming to the application before anyone else. The process to download WhatsApp beta is slightly different from the one we would follow to download the original app.
How to use the beta version of WhatsApp
As we told you before, WhatsApp has a beta version in which they test all the new features before releasing them to the stable application on Google Play. Accessing this version is as easy as becoming a beta tester and downloading the beta from the Android app store.
How to become a WhatsApp beta tester
To test the beta you just have to access Google Play . Click on the big button and voila, you will have become a tester of the trial version of WhatsApp . Keep in mind that this implies exposing yourself to different failures and bugs that, possibly, are not in the official version, but it is the thing to try the new features before anyone else!
Once you are a beta tester, wait a couple of minutes, and download –or update– WhatsApp from Google Play . The new version will be the beta version and will have all the news whose releases we will always tell you about in Andro4all.
The beta versions are only available for mobile, so you will not be able to use them on WhatsApp for desktop.
How to download WhatsApp for PC
If what you want is to use WhatsApp on your computer , all you have to do is use WhatsApp Web , the version that allows you to use the messaging service through web browsers. These are the steps to follow:
- Go to https://web.whatsapp.com/ .
- Open the WhatsApp app on your mobile.
- In the chat tab, click on the three-dot menu, and then on WhatsApp Web.
- Confirm to activate the camera, and scan the QR code you have on the page you opened at the beginning.
- After a few seconds, you will see all your chats in the browser, and you will be able to use it.
It should be noted that to use WhatsApp from the PC, you no longer need to keep your mobile on and with coverage at all times . Well, thanks to the multi-device mode, it is now possible to maintain a WhatsApp session independent of the mobile.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that WhatsApp already has official applications for Windows and macOS , with the same functions found in WhatsApp Web, but with an interface that adapts to the visual language of the latest versions of each operating system. You can download WhatsApp for Windows or for macOS from the official WhatsApp website .
How to download WhatsApp for tablet
WhatsApp Messenger can also be used on tablets , and in this case we can combine both ways. That is, we can both use it through WhatsApp Web, and by installing the application in the device’s memory. We explain how to do it step by step in another article:
How to reinstall WhatsApp?
If you have changed your mobile, it is likely that you will want to reinstall WhatsApp on your new device.
Although the steps detailed above are used to install the app on the new device, before doing so it is necessary to uninstall WhatsApp from the old mobile , so that our account is no longer associated with our old phone.
To uninstall WhatsApp , you just have to go to the settings application of your mobile, access the “Applications and notifications” section, and within “Installed applications” search for WhatsApp. Once inside, tap on the uninstall button.
Finally, all you have to do is download and install WhatsApp on the new device and log in to your account.
Summary: How to download and install WhatsApp
- Go to the official website and download the APK file. Or if you prefer, download it from Google Play .
- Press the install button on Google Play, or, if you have downloaded the APK, search for the file and install it.
- Verify your phone number.
- If you have a backup saved, it will ask you whether or not you want to restore it. Select what you want.
- Insert a profile name (you can change it later in the app settings.
Thus, you will already have WhatsApp on your mobile. You can now start chatting, and, if you wish, add a profile picture and a status. Remember that you can also use the service on a computer and tablet .
Extra: How to update WhatsApp on Android
If you already have it installed on your smartphone , it is important that you have it updated to the latest version to prevent possible failures, bugs and errors. Although we have already made a complete article at the time to know how to update WhatsApp , we will summarize the process again.
Just go to Google Play > My apps and games and check for any app updates. If so, just click on it and then on “Update”. The new version will be automatically downloaded to your mobile and installed.
If you prefer to use the APK file, visit the official WhatsApp website and download the installable file. The process is exactly the same, except this one is a bit more tedious, but it works just the same!
Now you know how to download and install WhatsApp for free, how to access its beta version and how to update the application to its latest version. If you don’t use WhatsApp it’s because you don’t want to!
Extra 2: These have been the main WhatsApp news in recent months
WhatsApp is one of the most used applications on the planet, and to always stay up to date, the company in charge of its development never stops introducing new changes and new features through updates. These have been the most important WhatsApp updates in recent months:
reactions
WhatsApp reactions are one of the most anticipated novelties by the users of the application. Thanks to them, it is possible to “react” to messages through emoticons, without having to write a new message. From May 2022, they are available to all users of the application.
Multi-device mode
WhatsApp Multi-device mode is available to everyone, and allows you to use the same account on a mobile and a PC , without the need for the former to remain connected to the Internet.
In this way, one of the greatest limitations that WhatsApp Web had since its inception disappears.
stickers
After a long time of waiting, WhatsApp officially introduced the stickers. Like many other messaging applications and social networks, WhatsApp stickers allow users to send images on different themes categorized in packs , as if they were larger emojis.
In addition, those users who want to create their own stickers for WhatsApp can also do so easily.
Videos in floating windows
Another of the great novelties that have come to WhatsApp is the possibility of playing videos in a small floating window. This is a feature that other messaging apps like Telegram have already included for a long time, but that WhatsApp had not yet adopted. However, the latest versions of the app already allow you to click on a video link to play it in Picture in Picture mode and continue using the app in the meantime.
Support for Android 9 notifications
After the arrival of Android 9 Pie , several applications were updated to support the new type of notifications of this version of Android , which allows images and multimedia content to be displayed directly in them, as well as a button to reply to messages. Luckily for WhatsApp users, the update to support this Android feature was not long in coming, and in fact it was one of the first messaging apps to incorporate this novelty.
Suspicious link detection
In their goal of fighting malware and threats that spread among the millions of WhatsApp conversations around the world, the creators of the most popular messaging app have introduced a useful novelty that is responsible for detecting those links that could be suspicious, and alert users to prevent them from accessing them.
group calls
WhatsApp video calls are not something new. Yes they are, however, group calls, which came to WhatsApp in July 2018 , allowing users to carry out video conferences or voice calls with up to four contacts.
Telegram-style channels
Although WhatsApp for Android still has a long way to go to resemble Telegram, in 2018 we witnessed the arrival of a novelty that brought the application a little closer to its open source alternative and whose logo is a paper plane: the channels . Actually, these WhatsApp channels are groups where only administrators can send messages , something that can be useful to spread information among a group of people.
Security in WhatsApp: how to protect your chats
One of the main concerns of WhatsApp users is security . The application includes certain security and privacy settings, which serve to better control what we want to show and what not to other users. For example, we can decide to hide our last connection time, our status, our profile picture, etc. In addition, we also have options to make backup copies of our chats.
We recommend our WhatsApp security guide to keep your data fully protected.
WhatsApp Plus and other alternatives to WhatsApp that you can download: are they worth it?
Practically since the day WhatsApp was born, there have been alternatives to the original application that can be downloaded , and that sometimes include functions that we do not find in the WhatsApp app.
One of the most famous was WhatsApp Plus, whose history we examined further back in its day . However, WhatsApp decided to block users who used these types of alternative apps, so there is no point in trying to download WhatsApp Plus online.
But it is still possible to download alternative WhatsApp apps. One of the most famous is YoWhatsApp , which among other things allows you to install and change the theme of the application, change the last connection time manually or block calls .
We must bear in mind, however, that by using this type of app we run the risk that WhatsApp could block our account , either temporarily or permanently. Another aspect to keep in mind is that since they are unofficial versions of the application, they could endanger our device through malware or other types of malicious software if they are downloaded from an unofficial source.
