While South Africans were enjoying their long weekend, WhatsApp rolled out a new feature that should come in handy for many, especially those conducting business on the platform.
Web Calling is now available on WhatsApp Web, which is the browser-based version of the popular communications platform. WhatsApp Web is perfect for allowing you to use WhatsApp from the comfort of a full-sized keyboard on your desktop PC or laptop, which is great for those who need to constantly interact with the platform for work.
WhatsApp Web, here in South Africa, has now been updated to allow Web Calling. This can be done as one-on-one, or with up to 32 people in a group.
“WhatsApp Web lets you call your contacts for free, even if they’re in another country. WhatsApp Web calling uses your internet connection. WhatsApp Web calling is supported on: Windows, Linux and MacOS. Calling works best on Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox. Certain browser versions may not be supported. To make or receive calls with WhatsApp Web you’ll need: An active internet connection on your computer. To learn more, go to web.whatsapp.com in your browser. Note: Use a headset for the best audio quality. Using a separate external microphone and speaker devices might cause an echo. If you prefer a native experience you can use WhatsApp for Windows or WhatsApp for Mac.” reads the rather barebones explanation of the feature.
WhatsApp Web Calling was announced in late July, but, instead of launching everywhere all at once, it was rolled out gradually throughout the world. We use WhatsApp Web every single day, and finally got an alert that it was available this morning.
If you are in South Africa and haven’t received that alert yet, you may need to log out of WhatsApp Web and then log back in. You should also make sure that your browser and mobile version of WhatsApp are both up to date.
For those who do have access, initiating calls is different for individuals and group chats. Individual chats have two separate icons: a camera for a video call and a handset for a voice call. For group chats, only a camera icon is available. Click on this icon to choose between a voice or video call, or two grab a link to a call.
If you need further help, WhatsApp provides these tutorials connected to WhatsApp Web Calling.
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