In 2016, WhatsApp released WhatsApp Desktop software for Windows and macOS so that computer users can view and send WhatsApp messages without touching their smartphones.
PC users who have used WhatsApp Desktop on their computers would know that users need to scan the QR code that shows up on the WhatsApp Desktop from WhatsApp installed on their smartphones in order to sign in to WhatsApp and start using it.
Besides that, both smartphone and PC must be connected to the internet for the WhatsApp Desktop to work. That is, if the smartphone is offline, you will not receive, and you cannot send messages from WhatsApp Desktop installed on your computer. In short, you need to have your phone connected to the internet for WhatsApp Desktop to work.
Now, several users want to use the WhatsApp Desktop without using the smartphone.
Is it possible to use WhatsApp Desktop without a phone?
No. Here is why. The current version of WhatsApp Desktop merely mirrors the WhatsApp messages and conversations that you have on your smartphone and allows you to replay to messages right from your computer.
Since WhatsApp Desktop cannot directly connect to WhatsApp servers (unlike WhatsApp on your smartphone), there is no way out there to use WhatsApp Desktop without using your phone.
Can a future version of WhatsApp Desktop work without a phone?
Yes, that might happen. Sometime back, it was rumored that Facebook is developing a version of WhatsApp for computers that will work even when the smartphone is offline. However, we are not sure if and when that will come out.
Workarounds to use WhatsApp on PC without a phone?
There is one possible workaround. For that to work, you need to install the WhatsApp mobile version on your computer with the help of Android emulators. There are several Android emulators around. BlueStacks is a popular one. The official Android Studio comes with an emulator but that’s not an easy one to set up.
After setting up the Android emulator, you just need to install WhatsApp (and not the WhatsApp Desktop) from the Google Play store and set it up just as you would on your smartphone. The catch is that you will have to fire up the Android emulator every time you want to use the WhatsApp.
