When the messaging app WhatsApp was introduced 6 years ago in 2010, everybody was hooked onto it instantly. It was the first time people had an option of communicating with their circle for basically free albeit the data network charges. But it wasn’t just that, the smooth flow of texting and the highly popular emojis that made it such an instant hit. We know that WhatsApp has always been innovating every step of the way, creating newer versions for becoming as user friendly as possible. This was shown when they started free voice calling via the app and now they have gone another stride further and introduced free video calling too! So get ready to chat with your friends and family face-to-face!
With over a billion monthly users, WhatsApp rolled out the feature today in around 180 countries, including India. Jan Koum, co-founder of the app, said in the release press meet that, “Over the years we’ve received many requests from our users for video calling. We want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks. We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones.” This is particularly good news to the Indian ears where almost 160 million people access the app monthly but on low-end smartphones or just 2G data packs.
Apart from this the calls are also, like the chats, end-to-end encrypted so that the company or any third parties won’t be able to eavesdrop on your conversations. Although the blanket release is on its way, many people are able to access the feature by downloading the WhatsApp beta version. Unsurprisingly, the version is easily accessible on Android Play Store. For Windows users, they have to message [email protected] to enable the same. Unfortunately, iPhone users need to wait for their share of video callings though it might be rolled out sooner than we think.
But if you are an Android carrier, how to get the ball rolling? Simple just follow these steps –
- Go to Google Play Store and download WhatsApp Beta Version or just click update on your existing app.
- Restart you WhatsApp and click on the chat of your friend/family with whom you want to experience this.
- Click on the phone symbol on the upper right corner which was initially for voice calls. The button will now show you option for video calling and voice calling.
- Select Voice call and woohoo you are face-to-face with the person on the other end.
Other features of this breakthrough include muting, camera shifting, and running in the background when you want to chat and call at the same time. Users who have already started experiencing this new feature have stated that it is in fact quite similar to FaceTime, Skype or the more recently introduce Google Duo. But with WhatsApp being a convenient tool to text, send files, have voice calls and now added video calls too, it may well beat the aforementioned apps, if it does guarantee the smooth connection as on the shown on the cover.
