WhatsApp has presently opened up the lines for video calling, albeit on the beta users' smartphones. However, the feature seems to be in testing mode at present as beta users are also seeing the feature being switched on, and off, frequently. Similar to when voice calling was enabled, video calling can be seen enabled when the servers on the WhatsApp end are working for the test phase.
Also read: How to get enrolled on WhatsApp's Beta programme, get early updates
WhatsApp is certainly one of the buzzwords in the instant messaging domain; the Facebook-owned app has been creating massive ripples by introducing all new features for its one-billion+ user base.
WhatsApp video calling option appears in new beta version.
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Read: Did you receive a message to upgrade to ‘WhatsApp Gold’?
After introducing a standalone desktop app few days ago, the company has now released a new beta update (v2.16.80), which includes video calling. However, the update is available only to those who have signed up for the beta testing program on Google Play.
Read: WhatsApp introduces desktop app, same as earlier web client
Read: Did you receive a message to upgrade to ‘WhatsApp Gold’? Stop, it’s a hoax!
While the video calling mode can be seen after tapping the 'call' button, the final working feature is yet to be fully operational for all users. We expect the feature to be rolled out very soon. WhatsApp did the same when the voice calling option was enabled for beta testers. The video calling feature is presently in test mode, where WhatsApp developers are constantly testing with beta users for optimising the data usage over the internet. They want to make sure that the video and voice over the internet data are smooth and there is no lag or drops, apart from compressing and encrypting the data.
WhatsApp free calling became an instant favourite as soon among the users, helping them reduce costs while making calls over long distances. It was one of the first platforms which offered internet-based calling to such a large user-base.
Building up from the success of its recent endeavours such as the controversial encryption feature, formatting options, and desktop app, users can expect this feature to be usually good and effective.
After the rollout of this feature, WhatApp will directly compete with Microsoft's video-calling app Skype.
However, there have been a lot of controversies regarding the open usage of OTT services. Some Telecom companies had earlier proposed to ban these services but their efforts were not successful, thanks to millions of netizens and telecom activists in the country.
Now that over a billion people will be entitled to this convenient feature, we hope the country’s telecoms do not cry wolf.
The news of introducing video-calling can be tagged as the company’s second biggest roll-out since the inception of the bold encryption feature.
Read: WhatsApp end-to-end encryption: a boon or bane?
It will be interesting to see if the feature can become as big a sensation as the previous voice calling one.
