WhatsApp could test the ability to make video and voice calls through its desktop app, according to a tweet from Alex Hern of The Guardian. This feature is not currently available on WhatsApp Web or the desktop app, but it may soon be available to all users. Hern shared an image on Twitter showing both the video call button and the voice call button in a chat on the desktop app. With this feature, WhatsApp aims to offer users the ability to make calls across multiple devices rather than just limiting them to smartphones.
Hern tweeted a screenshot of two new call buttons – for video calls and voice calls – that he spotted on his WhatsApp desktop beta app. Currently, the desktop app has a single search button on the top bar of the chat. However, the video and call buttons should soon appear side by side. The screenshot shows the video calling and voice calling buttons next to the search option in Hern’s tweet. He adds that the buttons will appear in the beta version of the app rather than the stable version.
Photo credit: Twitter / Alex Hern
There is no clarity on when these launch buttons will be enabled for all desktop users, but it is currently in the testing phase. This isn’t the first time WhatsApp is working to bring voice and video call buttons to PCs and laptops. Feature tracker WABetaInfo reportedly spotted the same thing on WhatsApp Web in October of this year. The report claimed that when you receive a call using WhatsApp Web on your desktop, you will see a pop-up window with options to receive and reject the call. There is also an “Ignore” option below. When you make a call, you’ll see a smaller popup with options to start the video, mute it, reject it, and more.
WhatsApp already supports sending messages through the desktop client, and support for video and voice calls will greatly improve cohesion. Facebook has not made any announcements about this feature, but now that it has been spotted in testing on both WhatsApp Web and the desktop client, an announcement can be expected soon.
Will WhatsApp get the killer feature every Indian is waiting for in 2020? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
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