Facebook's messaging platform WhatsApp has been made available in a desktop version, according to a BBC report.
WhatsApp users may now send and receive messages using the website web.whatsapp.com, according to a new post on the service's blog.
"Today, for the first time, millions of you will have the ability to use WhatsApp on your web browser," said the announcement posted on Wednesday.
However, messages will still be kept on the users' mobile devices, says the post.
"Our web client is simply an extension of your phone: the web browser mirrors conversations and messages from your mobile device," the announcement reads.
To sync their web browser to their WhatsApp client, users should open the WhatsApp website in Google Chrome, the blog post says. A QR code will appear on the website, which users need to scan with WhatsApp.
This will automatically connect WhatsApp on the mobile device to the web client.
In order for users to send and receive messages via a desktop, their mobile devices must remain connected to the Internet. Facebook is working to allow sending and receiving WhatsApp messages using desktop computers without having to connect mobile devices to the Internet, according to CNET.
Currently, WhatsApp's desktop connectivity also does not cover Apple devices due to "platform limitations," according to the blog post.
The move to make the chat service available in a desktop version follows what other service providers did with their messaging platforms, the CNET report notes. Apple's iMessage, which was initially a mobile-only service, now has a desktop version, and Google's Hangout and Microsoft's Skype are accessible with different devices.
Facebook bought WhatsApp in February for almost $19 billion, with the transaction completed in October. WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum recently announced that the messaging platform currently has 700 million mobile users, making it one of the biggest chat platforms today.