cebook-owned WhatsApp has been rumoured to be working on voice/video calling feature for WhatsApp desktop app and WhatsApp Web client for a long time. It appears that the company is slowly rolling out the feature to select users of the messaging platform, after months of development.
As spotted by WABetaInfo, the voice and video calling feature is available in beta form, meaning the messaging company is still working to improve its functionality. Once it is fully tested and rolled out on its web and desktop platforms, the company would hope to give tough competitions to rivals such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. However, the video and voice calling on the WhatsApp app work quite differently as users here are required to be on the platform to enjoy the feature, unlike the other video conferencing platforms, that allow participants to joining without signing up.
As per the images available in the report, it appears that a separate window will pop up on the WhatsApp Web and Desktop app whenever users get an incoming voice or video call. Whereas, to make an outgoing call, users would be required to open a chat and select the call or video icon at the top right. The feature may function the same way on WhatsApp groups, although it is unclear how many participants would be allowed during a conference call. The regular WhatsApp for Android and iOS allows up to eight members during a group video and voice call.
Support for voice and video calls on WhatsApp web has been a much-demanded feature from users across the world. As of now, WhatsApp or Facebook have not shared any details about the feature’s availability on stable WhatsApp Web or Desktop channel. Over the last few months, the messaging platform has been adding new upgrades for its massive userbase in India as well as around the world. Recently, WhatsApp rolled out a new feature that enables users to get in-app notifications. The WhatsApp Payments feature is also now available to up to 20 million users in India for enabling UPI payments.
