Can a laptop fake a smartphone?

[Windows Central Question]

Hi,
Here's my problem: I try to assist an old cousin (88) who lives in Israel while her only son lives in the US. She doesn't own a smartphone, just an old fashioned mobile. She owns a laptop and is connected to a wifi network.
I would have liked to activate whatapp on her chrome browser, but since her phone isn't smart enough, there's no way to install whatsapp on it.
Is there a way to "fake" a phone connection, using her mobile phone number, for activation whatsapp web?
Is there any other way I can help her with establishing a whatsapp connection on her laptop?

 

[spicypadthai]

Should be able to do it by installing an Android emulator on the laptop.

 

[RumoredNow]

Why not Skype? Viber? Line?

What's the imperative that forces it to be Whatsapp?

It often puzzles me when I hear people can't talk to each other because one of them does not have AppX. Then the person lacking X is found running around in circles trying to get X when it just won't work for them. The answer is always move on to choice Y or Z. If the party insisting on X won't budge, there's something lacking in that answer, IMHO, an unwillingness to reach a compromise.


If you want to know about spoofing inside Chrome, our Android friends may be a better place to ask:
Ask Anything - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com


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[RumoredNow]

Should be able to do it by installing an Android emulator on the laptop.

Having an emulator on the desktop does allow downloads from Play, but do you not have to also have a compatible for the app device registered to your Play account?

 

[spicypadthai]

Having an emulator on the desktop does allow downloads from Play, but do you not have to also have a compatible for the app device registered to your Play account?

I'm thinking yes but if the laptop user doesn't already have a Play account, she can create it from the emulator. But considering the hoops you need to jump through to make it work in the first place, as you said in your first reply, an alternative is probably the best option.

 

[RumoredNow]

Thanks...

The way I've used similar, I always had a device on file. I never tried "creating" a device out of thin air for the program to emulate. That's also why I think a trip to AC's Ask a Question might be in order if spoofing to get Whatsapp on PC is the only solution.