How does WhatsApp Web connect an Android user?

I signed up to WhatsApp, and wanted to use its web access to IM with a friend who is travelling and will connect her Android phone to wifi hotspot when she can.

I assumed WhatsApp would send/receive IM messages over the Net for free (me on a computer, her through a wifi hotpost), but here's a screenshot of WhatsApp Web:

FWIW, my phone is connected to my computer through USB, but the whole point of using WhatsApp is to avoid being charged for SMS text messages.

So, is using WhatsApp between an ADSL-connected Windows computer and a wifi-connect Android smartphone free or not?

Thank you.

Solution 1:

The only thing WhatsApp for Web does, is continuously query the WhatsApp on your phone and interact with it. You can type message using the website, but they are only delivered once they arrive on your phone, and your phone then confirms the arrival of the message.

So using WhatsApp for Web is basically the same as when you use it on your phone, except that its more convenient because you do not have to keep looking at your phone, and typing is a lot easier.

That being said, WhatsApp uses the internet to send and receive messages, not SMS text messages. How you have your phone connected to the internet will determine how the WhatsApp messages are being sent. If your phone is connected to your local WiFi spot, and as such, you don't use your cellular internet for which you pay, then using WhatsApp is free. If you have not connected your phone to wifi, then in addition to using regular WhatsApp, you also have to keep in mind, that your web session will interact with your phone through the internet for which additional data is being generated.

Solution 2:

WhatsApp communicates through the Internet, not SMS (mobile text messages).

The question whether it ends up being free depends on the amount of bandwidth on your home and mobile plans, as well as how much you use it. This type of application typically uses very little bandwidth and isn't normally a source of worry.

Solution 3:

WhatsApp web only connects if your PC and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network (this could be your phone acting as a hotspot to your PC, in which case you may pay data charges) The web interface sends and receives WhatsApp messages through your phone, so if your phone is connected to your home broadband via Wi-Fi then you will pay no charges.