Since https://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/1gdhy7u/experimental_flathub_release_of_newpipe_on_linux/ got a bit of traction yesterday, this is WhatsApp straight from Meta running on Linux desktop using android-translation-layer.
android-translation-layer (ATL) is a Wine-like approach to run Android applications on Linux. Rather than running an Android container like for example Waydroid does this instead implements the Android API. Note that right now it’s very much work in progress and almost no app will work yet, but the fact that they have apps like Newpipe and WhatsApp running already is very promising!
Join the Matrix chat at #android-translation-layer:matrix.org and follow along!
I’m curious, doesn’t WhatsApp require a phone number to be attached to an account? As in, I thought activating it doesn’t work on devices without a SIM card?
I haven’t used it in a while, but I think it just sends you an SMS with a code that you can enter manually, so yeah it works on devices without a SIM
Exactly. I created my whatsapp account in waydroid like this.
…but it can’t run both in your phone and in your computer, right? For that you need the desktop app (which is Windows only) or the web app, which linux apps encapsulate right?
You’re right, you can’t run the Android (or iOS app) twice. If you want a second device running WhatsApp you’ll need the web app.
I’ve never tried having the app on multiple devices - I specifically didn’t want it on my phone - but it’s worth a try. I use whatsapp web in firefox, and only start waydroid when I need to log in again. The third party linux apps just load whatsapp web in electron or something.