Instant messaging platform WhatsApp reportedly is working on a messaging app for desktops following the huge success of the mobile client over the past few years.

The feature was spotted in the latest update named 'WhatsApp Web', and the code points to a web service for login and the ability to track updates.

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WhatsApp uses the SIM-card to verify the user's account, but on the desktop OAuth will send a code to mobile to authenticate. This means users must have a mobile device to use WhatsApp.

Demand for the web-based client has been high ever since WhatsApp became popular. Even though WhatsApp is available on almost every mobile platform, including Symbian and BlackBerry, the developers showed no interest in a web client.

WhatsApp's rivals WeChat, Viber, LINE, Telegram and even Facebook Messenger all have web clients. It is surprising the most popular message app, at around 650 million active users, still does not have this basic functionality.

Ever since Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $16 billion early in 2014, the company has been pumping out new features like encryption on messages and potentially a VoIP client, to compete with Skype.

For now, Facebook is taking a laid back approach to WhatsApp, similar to Instagram. The app still looks the same as it did pre-acquisition and Facebook has not integrated its own social network on top of the messaging service.

WhatsApp is a big play by Facebook into developing countries and China, where the social network is currently banned. WhatsApp does face stiff competition in those regions with WeChat and LINE, but it seems to be prevailing worldwide.

It is unclear when we will see the WhatsApp desktop client, the team is notorious for slow paced updates.

TagsWhatsApp, desktop, messaging app