The WhatsApp group voice and video call feature that was announced at the last F8 developer conference is now rolling out globally according to a blog post by WhatsApp. The update which started rolling out yesterday should now be available to everyone and if you haven’t seen it yet, not to worry as updates of this nature roll out gradually to all users over a few weeks.
“You can make a group call with up to four people total – anytime and anywhere. Just start a one-on-one voice or video call and tap the new “add participant” button in the top right corner to add more contacts to the call.”
To begin, start a call or video call with a contact, at that point tap the include member icon in the upper right corner. Right now there is no easier way of initiating group video calls other than adding other members during a one on one call with another contact. Maybe a shortcut would be made available in future even though it would have come in handy now.
WhatsApp says that the group video calls like any other feature you use is end-to-end encrypted which means the calls are protected from the time you initiate them on your device to other users.
As usual, you would have to update your app to the latest version to start enjoying the feature. The feature is currently available on version 2.18.232.
Group video calls will be coming to Apple devices in the upcoming iOS 12.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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