WhatsApp Is Finally About To Launch A Long-Anticipated New Feature

ByDavid Phelan,Senior

 

Updated Jan. 21 with more details of the new web voice and video calls and other updates coming to WhatsApp.

WhatsApp is about to introduce a major new capability, it’s reported and it will finally allow users of the WhatsApp web app to take part in voice and video calls. Parent company Meta has other innovations planned, including a feature for iOS users to be able to share their chat history with new group members. More on that below.

The report comes from the authoritative WhatsApp watcher, WABetaInfo, which cautions that the new features are not quite live yet, but are on the way.

Calling capabilities for the web client had been partially previewed before, but haven’t come to fruition yet.

WhatsApp Web Voice And Video Calls: What’s Coming

“if you are using a computer that is not your own, you can rely on WhatsApp Web to place calls without installing a native or hybrid desktop app,” the report said. That would mean that users would be able to control call notifications they receive from WhatsApp Web.

It also means that features currently available on the Android and iOS apps will be more widely accessible. “Following recent updates to the WhatsApp Web beta, we discovered that WhatsApp is actively developing voice and video calls for group chats,” the report went on.

This will mean that you can join a call whether you’re on your iPhone, Android phone or desktop. This flexibility is already offered by rival services like FaceTime, where you can hand off calls from one device to another seamlessly. But FaceTime, of course, only works on Apple devices while WhatsApp covers Android and PC as well — just one of the reasons it has grown so fast, outside the U.S., at least.

WhatsApp Web Group Calls: How They’ll Work

It could mean that group calls could support up to 32 participants, though likely a smaller number at first. “This added compatibility will ensure that all users can participate in group calls, regardless of the device they are using,” WABetaInfo said.

The way the different platforms will align is also expected to grow, with users “to instantly generate a shareable link that others can use to join the call. When creating a call link, users will be able to choose whether it is for a voice or video call, just as they can on WhatsApp for Android and iOS,” it said.

Additionally, there will be capabilities to schedule calls, both for individual and group chats.

WhatsApp Web Calling: Release Date Expectations

Although no date has been set for the features to go live, this flexibility of calling has been long requested and it’s likely to arrive in weeks rather than months.

WhatsApp New Features Continue To Appear

According to WABetaInfo, a feature previously intended for Android users is coming to iOS as well. That’ the feature that allows new group members to receive messages shared before they joined the group.