WhatsApp Gains Video Calling Support

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Published 15 Nov 2016

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WhatsApp Video Call

Late last month, WhatsApp started beta testing video calling feature on its Android client. More than two weeks later, the company has today officially announced that it is bringing video calling support to its client for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone.

WhatsApp says that video calling has been one of the much-requested features from its users. For now, WhatsApp is only adding one-on-one video calling support to its platform, with no word on when group video calling would be possible.

We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough. There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad. And 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.

The process to make a video call on WhatsApp remains the same as voice calling. However, when you tap on the call icon, you will be greeted with the option to either make a video call or voice call. Do note that the other party with whom you are trying to do a video call with must also be on the latest version of the app that enables the video calling functionality. If not, the video call will fail.

Considering that WhatsApp is more popular in countries with poor and slow data connectivity like India and Brazil, it is likely that WhatsApp has optimized its video calling feature to work properly on spotty data and Wi-Fi connections.