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Releases: abdallah-shehawey/whatsapp-desktop
Release list
v1.9.14
Full Changelog: v1.9.13...v1.9.14
v1.9.13
What's Changed
Other changes
- Prepare source-only packaging for official distribution review by @abdallah-shehawey in #6
- Use Fedora Rawhide's official Electron 43 runtime by @abdallah-shehawey in #8
New Contributors
- @abdallah-shehawey made their first contribution in #6
Full Changelog: v1.9.12...v1.9.13
Contributors
Assets 9
Fedora source packaging review: Electron 43 (2026-10-10)
The initial Fedora submission required Electron 40. Fedora devel feedback identified the existing official Rawhide nodejs-electron 43.2.0 runtime; this revised application proposal uses that runtime with electron >= 43, < 44.
The Fedora desktop entry now matches the runtime's observed window class. Duplicate icon/metadata copies are consolidated with hardlinks while preserving their paths. The application JavaScript is unchanged; the normal bundled application remains version 1.9.12 with Electron 40, and the Debian proposal retains its separate Electron 40 prerequisite.
Validation:
- Source RPM rebuilt and the noarch application package installed in Rawhide with Fedora's official Electron package. Rawhide rpmlint 2.10.0: zero errors and warnings.
- Application tests, source-only staged installation and metadata checks passed.
- The installed application loaded the real logged-out WhatsApp QR page. Settings, Fonts and About rendered with real preloads/IPC; settings writes were read back; main-window hide/show and the native class matching the installed desktop entry were checked.
- Runtime versions: Electron 43.2.0, Chromium 150.0.7871.129, embedded Node.js 24.18.0.
The runtime check used private XDG directories, X11 and disabled GPU acceleration. Signed-in messaging/calls, native Wayland, hardware acceleration and full desktop portal integration remain unvalidated. Later Electron major versions need further checks.
The immutable source snapshot is commit b108e5e2d5b3d8d2713e51f463d7b7dfa780ab02. SHA256SUMS covers the downloadable SPEC, source RPM, source archives and manifest. No runtime binary is included. The first 2026-10-09 review snapshot remains unchanged.
This is a packaging review prerelease, not a stable application release or archive acceptance. Fedora review #2548541, packager sponsorship #802 and Debian ITP #1150415 remain pending. The maintainer follow-up is now public in the Fedora devel archive, review comment 1, and sponsorship follow-up. Public visibility was verified; review and sponsorship remain pending. Track progress in issue #7 and PR #8.
Official archive packaging proposal — pending runtime and review
Source packaging proposal for inclusion in the official Fedora, Debian and
Ubuntu archives. These review artifacts do not mean that any distribution has
accepted the package or that it can be installed from its official repositories.
The application source, tests, artwork sources and packaging inputs are included.
The packages depend on a separately source-built Electron 40 runtime; they do
not bundle a downloaded Electron binary or run npm during the application build.
The source archive excludes the separate website and its fonts.
Electron is not currently packaged in the target official Fedora/Ubuntu
archives. Debian's runtime request #842420
remains the prerequisite. Runtime source packaging and archive acceptance are
not completed by this proposal. The application version remains 1.9.12.
Validation: application tests and metadata/launcher checks passed in clean
Ubuntu 24.04 and Fedora 44 build environments. The Fedora application RPM and
SRPM passed rpmlint with zero errors and zero warnings. The Ubuntu application
DEB passed lintian's error check; its remaining warning is the initial changelog
not yet naming an ITP to close. A private X11 startup check with upstream's
prebuilt Electron 40 confirmed the real main window and matching desktop class;
that check is not a source build of Electron.
Public review sources are attached as the Fedora SPEC/SRPM and Debian
.dsc/original tarball/quilt difference, with a commit manifest and SHA256
checksums. The proposal is tracked in
PR #6.
Official submission references (2026-10-09): Fedora Package Review #2548541, linked to FE-NEEDSPONSOR, and Debian ITP #1150415, blocked by Electron #842420. Issue #7 tracks the remaining prerequisites. These requests do not establish archive acceptance.
v1.9.12 — Smoother messages and navigation
WhatsApp Desktop 1.9.12 improves message and navigation animation smoothness while preserving the original message-send corner pop, timing and easing.
- Remove synchronous layout work from conversation and reply-bar glides, and prevent overlapping animations from cancelling a newer motion.
- Start chat transitions when the new conversation content is ready, prepare its first frame, and reduce extra work during tab and drawer navigation.
- Handle rapid sends, message bursts and recycled message rows without skipping or replaying their entrance.
- Keep reply-bar dismissal, quick chat changes and reduced-motion behavior consistent.
Validation: the full test suite and JavaScript syntax checks passed. Chat switching, tabs, settings, message-animation fixtures and reply-bar transitions were checked in the signed-in desktop app.
v1.9.11
v1.9.10
v1.9.9
v1.9.8
WhatsApp Desktop 1.9.7
Chats now returns with the same section animation as Status, Communities and Calls. Profile and nested settings pages reveal consistently, and restoring an open conversation gives the tab's first frame time to paint.
- Reduce the UI stall when restoring a conversation after leaving Chats.
- Cancel stale navigation motion and pending restores during rapid tab changes.
- Keep a manually closed chat closed when returning with Escape or clicking Chats.
- Keep nested settings pages from painting over each other, including You > Profile.
- Preserve per-chat theme colors and the selected English and Arabic fonts during chat changes.
- Respect reduced motion for section and conversation animations.
Validated with all 17 regression suites and JavaScript syntax checks, plus live signed-in Profile, section switching, chat restoration, rapid navigation, reduced-motion, palette and font checks. Local measurements showed shorter UI stalls during chat restoration; WhatsApp's own conversation rendering still has a measurable cost.