WhatsApp introduces ads in its app

WhatsApp cannot even be used from desktop without a smartphone. I think they took "mobile-first" approach too literally.

But to be fair, competitors like Telegram also do not allow registering an account from desktop app, only from a smartphone. This seems to be the new trend: you cannot sign up for Gmail and Vk without a smartphone too: for Gmail, you need to scan the QR code, and for Vk you need to install a mobile app.

It can be used in the desktop (web) with the phone turned off since a few months (years?) ago.