WhatsApp needs no introduction today. With over 2 billion monthly active users exchanging 60 billion messages and 2 million minutes of voice/video calls daily, WhatsApp‘s adoption is rivaled only by Facebook itself.
While WhatsApp‘s mobile apps and official Windows/macOS desktop clients continue to improve in functionality, Linux has unfortunately remained an unofficial afterthought. This guide aims to change that by providing developers and Linux enthusiasts all the tools required to reliably run WhatsApp Desktop on the Ubuntu 22.04 LTS release.
We will cover WhatsApp installation across 4 main Linux packaging platforms – from Snap and Flatpak to native binaries. But first, let‘s do a quick run through of WhatsApp‘s underlying architecture across platforms.
Understanding WhatsApp‘s Architecture
The WhatsApp service relies on client apps connecting to WhatsApp servers to facilitate messaging. The clients broadly work in two ways:
Mobile – Native apps coded in platform-specific languages (Java for Android, Objective-C/Swift for iOS). These clients have deep OS integration for notifications and calling.
Multiplatform (Desktop/Web) – Web clients use JavaScript/CSS/HTML code along with a bundled Chromium rendering engine. Limited integration with host OS.
Interestingly, while the mobile vs multiplatform behavior is similar for both Android and iOS apps, WhatsApp desktop works differently across Windows/macOS and Web:
| Platform | Description |
|---|---|
| Windows/macOS | Standalone native app built on Electron.js framework allowing tighter platform integration |
| Web | Browser-based Web app using React and CSS. No install required |
On Linux, currently all unofficial WhatsApp clients rely on some form of the WhatsApp Web codebase – using either Electron or Chromium underneath.
This key architectural difference is why Linux platforms like Ubuntu have second-grade support for voice/video calls, notifications and other integration issues compared to mobile and official desktop versions.
But the open source nature of various Linux packaging systems allow enthusiasts to bridge this gap significantly through custom builds. So let‘s jump in and go through our WhatsApp installation options one-by-one!
Method #1 – Install WhatsApp via Snap
Snaps are containerized software packages built specially for Linux based on standards outlined by Snapcraft. They work across a wide variety of Linux distributions from Ubuntu to even Raspberry Pi OS.
Here are some quick stats on the Snap ecosystem as of 2023:
- Over 8,000 apps/packages available as Snaps
- Includes popular apps like Spotify, Slack, Chromium, VS Code
- Supports 156 Linux distributions
- Over 220 million installations across 4+ million devices
Snaps gain their portability by bundling all app dependencies as self-contained units isolated from the underlying OS. This improves security but can also lead to higher resource usage in some cases.
The whatsapp-for-linux Snap package bundles together the WhatsApp Web codebase, required browser libraries and related dependencies as a single unit. Under the hood it is powered by Chromium and Electron – but the integration complexity is abstracted away from the user.
You can install it on Ubuntu 22.04 by running:
sudo snap install whatsapp-for-linuxThis delivers automatic updates directly from the package developer eliminating manual upgrade headaches. You can also easily revert via sudo snap remove whatsapp-for-linux without system impact.
On Ubuntu, Snaps integrate seamlessly with native packages with desktop notifications, app indicators for calls and messages, multimedia codec support and more. The only occasional issues are around sandboxed hardware access for microphones and cameras.
For most cases, the Snap approach delivers the smoothest WhatsApp experience on Linux with least maintenance. The sandboxing guarantees stability from underlying system changes. This makes Snaps ideal for new Linux users dipping their toes into trying WhatsApp on the desktop.
Method #2 – Install via Flatpak
Flatpak is an emerging packaging technology spearheaded by Linux phone OS maker GNOME focused on desktop app distribution across various Linux distros.
As of 2023, Flatpak adoption metrics are impressive:
- Over 2400 apps/runtimes available for Linux
- Supported across 76 Linux distributions
- Tens of millions of installations and growing rapidly
The core advantages offered by Flatpaks are:
- Atomic Updates – App updates don‘t impact or modify system libraries
- Multi Distribution Support – Apps work across many Linux variants out-of-the-box
- Sandboxed Execution – Each app restricted to allowed resources improving security
The WhatsApp Flatpak leverages these capabilities for stability. Under the hood it bundles Chromium + Electron to power the WhatsApp Web client codebase just like the Snap approach.
You can install the community package via:
flatpak install flathub com.github.eneshecan.WhatsAppForLinux -yThis delivers semi-automatic updates, desktop integration and bundled dependencies for self-containment. The main difference vs Snap is being powered by a different codebase contributor.
In my testing, the Flatpak variant had slightly better audio/video call quality – perhaps due to differences in how Pulseaudio streams are routed. The development team is also quite responsive to bug reports.
Either Snap or Flatpak will serve most Linux users well. But more advanced developers may prefer native package options that allow tighter OS integration.
Method #3 – Install WhatsApp PPA
While Snaps and Flatpaks prioritize app portability across Linux distributions, native OS packages provide greater control and customization for specific distros like Ubuntu.
For Ubuntu/Debian variants, the .deb package + apt technology enables tight integration with the rest of the OS including:
- Notifications
- Audio/video codec support
- OpenGL graphics integration
- Filesystem access
- Launcher compliance
And more user experience niceties not easy via bundles/containers.
The WhatsApp PPA package by Atique Ahmed seeks to leverage native .deb capabilities for more seamless Ubuntu integration.
You can install it easily via:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atiqueahmedziad/whatsapp
sudo apt update
sudo apt install whatsapp-desktopThis transparently adds WhatsApp to your launcher and desktop allowing quick access. It also updates via standard apt upgrade.
However stability can sometimes be an issue given dependencies on many underlying OS libraries. Changes in Ubuntu versions can break things without warning. For most cases though, the tighter experience outweighs these risks.
Power developers can also directly tweak the PPA codebase available on GitHub via Liberapay. This allows customizing notifications, interface elements like badges/notifications, trying bleeding edge features from WhatsApp Web and more.
If you want both flexibility and native feel – the PPA approach is perfect.
Method #4 – Manual .deb Package Install
Finally, for enthusiasts who want absolute control, manually downloading and installing WhatsApp Linux client .deb packages gives greatest flexibility.
You can grab community builds from independent sites like:
And install them directly:
wget https://github.com/eneshecan/whatsapp-for-linux/releases/download/v2.2216.10/whatsappforlinux_2.2216.10_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./whatsappforlinux_2.2216.10_amd64.debThis keeps your system clean without adding new repositories while benefiting from native packages. Updates do need manual intervention but gives most control over WhatsApp behavior.
One can even fork these projects to fully customize notifications, badges, interface behavior much more intrusively than the PPA approach. The Linux/Ubuntu ecosystem empower developers to mold apps like WhatsApp to their exact needs something unimaginable on other platforms.
And thanks to abundant documentation plus open communication channels, assistance is never far when you run into roadblocks.
Troubleshooting Help for WhatsApp Issues
Despite best efforts of various Linux WhatsApp client developers, some functionality gaps do creep up occasionally:
- Video calls can be choppy
- Notifications may act quirky
- Link previews/media bugs happen
So I wanted to equip the reader with some developer tricks to troubleshoot when (not if) you face issues:
Debugging Steps
-
Check codec support – Validate video drivers and codecs by attempting playback of a high resolution sample video file locally. Ifchoppy playback happens here too, focus on system upgrades first.
-
Inspect Traffic – Leverage the open source roots by tracing WhatsApp Web traffic closely through browser developer tools. This can reveal vital clues on exactly what‘s failing.
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Toggle Settings – WhatsApp provides many toggle options that impact functionality greatly like disabling hardware acceleration, browser sandboxing, privacy options etc. Try switching things up.
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Downgrade Packages – Whether Snap, Flatpak or even driver packages – try rolling back versions which previously worked to isolate culprit updates.
-
Chat with Community – GitHub issues of your chosen WhatsApp package is a great way to find others hitting the same bug. Compare setups to pinpoint actual root cause.
-
Wireshark Traces – For advanced cases, packet capture traces decoded through Wireshark can uncover vital network level clues like drops, encryption failures etc.
And as always – upstream bugs on Canonical‘s Launchpad, WhatsApp Web GitHub and other Linux forums make great resources to research as you go about your troubleshooting.
The open source nature of Ubuntu and most WhatsApp Linux clients empower us developers to be detective sleuths for a living!
Wrapping Up
I hope this guide gave you clarity on not just what packages to use for installing WhatsApp on Linux but also the why behind what makes each tick from a developer perspective.
While limited integration of certain features is likely to remain a challenge in unofficial Linux ports of mobile-first apps like WhatsApp, the situation continues getting better every day.
An exciting area of progress is running Android apps natively on Linux desktops itself. Initiatives like WayDroid leverage machine virtualization to run the official WhatsApp Android app on Linux. This brings parity across all functionality.
The Linux destiny has always been about developer freedom and customizability. Don‘t accept "good enough" solutions – instead leverage the power of open source to mold apps to your requirements rather than the other way around!
