The WhatsApp desktop application for Mac and PC now accepts voice and video calls and offers end-to-end encrypted calls to other WhatsApp users on PC and mobile devices. WhatsApp launches feature for Desktop App to Voice and Video Calling for its Mac and iOS users. WhatsApp started distributing the desktop.
Voice and video calling are not new ideas for WhatsApp: mobile apps for Android and iOS now offer this feature.
WhatsApp started distributing the desktop calling feature to a small group of users late last year.
However, today’s launch means the feature is now available to all WhatsApp users on desktop. Making calls more ubiquitous across all WhatsApp devices.
And like existing video calling features, the new desktop calling promises same end-to-end encryption. This means WhatsApp and Facebook won’t be able to see or hear your calls.
The biggest missing feature is that the desktop app only supports one-on-one calls, at least for starters, not group calls. WhatsApp promises to expand support for group voice and video calls, although it not yet know when to do so.
Requirements
To use the new video calling feature, you need to set up the WhatsApp desktop application on your Mac or PC. To do this, you must be a WhatsApp user on a mobile device.
After installing the application on their computer, the user scans a QR code to enter the desktop application. They can then use the WhatsApp version for desktop computers with their regular accounts.
Support for new features will benefit millions of people who use the WhatsApp desktop client every day. They have to use Zoom or Google Meet for individual video calls on desktop computers, also for practical reasons.
WhatsApp, used by more than 2 billion people, did not reveal how popular video and voice calls were on its platform, but said it handled more than 1.4 billion calls on New Year’s Eve – a peak day.
The addition of the new feature comes as WhatsApp tries to convince users to agree to proposed changes to its privacy policy – which has been getting warmth on Twitter. This concern, voiced by a handful of Twitter users, will spread to the larger population remains to be seen.
