WhatsApp has now also implemented the (video) calling function in the computer version of its app. Currently, you can only have one-on-one conversations via a PC or Mac, but there should also be an option for group conversations in the future.
WhatsApp’s desktop app has been available for both Windows and macOS for about five years. Facebook’s popular chat application has been testing video calling since December.
Still, the function has been available to everyone since Thursday: two new icons, a camera, and a phone call will now appear at the very top of the interface. A mouse click is enough to set up a conversation.
WhatsApp has not yet released anything about the popularity of (video) calling via the app, but claims on its company blog that it processed 1.4 billion voice and video calls during the turn of the year, a peak moment. As the text messages, the WhatsApp conversations are end-to-end encrypted, the company says.
“A larger screen for video calls makes it easier to work with colleagues, see family better, and you have your hands free to move around a room while you talk,” he continues.
According to WhatsApp, ‘desktop calling’ works ‘seamlessly’ for both portrait and landscape images. The window on your computer screen is always in the foreground, so you don’t lose the video calls between open browser tabs or other windows.
There is also a web version of WhatsApp, but it does not support the video calling function yet.