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With more people working from home in the Corona crisis and families unable to physically meet due to curfews, the number of users on the platforms for group calls and digital meetings skyrocketed. Until now, Facebook WhatsApp has not been used as much as the other platforms, this could change due to the increase of the limit for group calls.
Up to 8 people in one call
To stay up-to-date with Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom & Co., WhatsApp increases the number of group call participants from 4 to a total of 8: with the latest update, you can directly click the call button in chat group, and then call members can be selected, so wabetainfo.
Calls with more than 4 participants can only be made with people who have also downloaded the latest version of WhatsApp with the call function. Unfortunately, the update is not yet available to everyone – impatient people will have to download the app again to use the feature right now.
Another feature that comes with the new update: According to wabetainfo, it is now possible to search for news on the Internet. This should serve to recognize false news. However, for search, the message must be uploaded to Google; data protection experts would probably advise against it.
Can Facebook WhatsApp keep up with the other platforms?
The number of users on the Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Slack platforms has been through the roof in recent weeks. The Zoom platform, which until recently was quite unknown, passed to Microsoft teams with 4.48 million users (online simultaneously) (1.56 million users online simultaneously). Slack, on the other hand, had significantly fewer users.
The numbers refer to the United States and, according to Reuters, come from Apptopia market researchers. It remains to be seen if the number of platform users will change significantly with the new WhatsApp update: after all, calls can be made with a number of people in the three-digit range on large platforms. To give just one example: For school operations, which are currently largely carried out in Zoom or Microsoft Teams, the new WhatsApp feature with 8 calls in one call will hardly be enough.
However, Facebook is planning another innovation that is similar to the functions of the other platforms.
Facebook announces “Rooms”
Facebook announced a new free platform. The new messaging “Rooms” must allow calls with up to 50 participants, and are free. In this sense, “Rooms” Zoom could expire if the rates are reintroduced there after Corona. The “rooms” could compete with the other platforms.
By the way, Facebook plans to integrate the “Rooms” functions in WhatsApp and Instagram.
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