WhatsApp now has standalone app for Windows users, here is where you can download it from

WhatsApp finally available as an app to Windows users. You would no longer have to link your phone to send or receive messages, you can simply download the app on your laptop and start operating like any other app. WhatsApp reveals that the app is out of beta and available to download on the Microsoft Store.

"WhatsApp Desktop users have been using our web-based desktop app (WhatsApp Desktop) or our browser-based app (WhatsApp Web). As we're always trying to improve the WhatsApp experience for our users, we're developing apps native to Windows and Mac operating systems," WhatsApp noted in its website.

The feature was first supported by Wabetainfo, a website that tracks all the activities related to the messaging app. WhatsApp is slated to release a beta version 2.22.17.23 and only the beta testers will have access to the feature. WhatsApp is currently testing the feature on Android only. iOS beta testers may get the feature in the future. The feature will also be limited to WhatsApp communities. The messaging app had previously discussed hiding phone numbers from community members with the Verge.

WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart informed the publication that when a person is added to a community, his phone number will be hidden except from admins and the people he is in a specific sub-group with.

Wabetainfo has now shared the screenshot of how the feature will appear once it is available to the beta testers. There is an option called "Phone number sharing", which would let users decide whether they want to share their numbers with the group members or not.