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WhatsApp Web is a convenient way to access some of the best features of the most popular chat app from your web browser. If you expect to sly reply to messages during work hours, or want to see some photos on your desktop’s bigger screen, WhatsApp Web is essential. But for those hoping to make a video call from their computer, it is not good. WhatsApp Web cannot make or receive voice or video calls. And given how much we’ve all relied on tools like Google Meet, Zoom, and Messenger Rooms on our laptops to keep in touch with friends and family this year, that’s a shame.
Fortunately, WhatsApp Web could soon correct these glaring omissions, according to WABetaInfo – a team of eagle-eyed WhatsApp fans crawling the latest beta versions of the app to discover new features or yet unannounced design tweaks.
According to WABetaInfo, Facebook-owned WhatsApp is starting to test video calls and voice calls on WhatsApp with a small number of users. For those lucky enough to be included in the trial, a phone and camera icon will appear at the bottom of the WhatsApp Web window. By clicking on any of these, you will need to choose a contact to initiate the call.
If you are receiving a video or voice call from another WhatsApp contact, or a group of people, a separate pop-up will appear in your chosen web browser. This window will display the contact’s name, profile picture, and buttons to reject or accept the incoming call. WhatsApp has yet to announce the arrival of voice and video calls for desktop users. However, the fact that beta versions of these features are already rolling out is a good sign.
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For anyone who relies on WhatsApp to keep in touch with friends and family, this will be a huge boost when it arrives. Of course, it’s technically possible to start a video call from WhatsApp Web right now, but you’ll need to use Facebook’s new Messenger Rooms feature. This is an independent service designed to bring together contacts from all Facebook messaging services, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger.
These contacts can be grouped together in a video call chat room, even if they are not all using the same application or in the same group chat. Facebook rolled out the feature earlier this year in response to the rise in popularity of video calling services like Zoom and Google Meet following the public health crisis and widespread lockdowns.
If the development of the new feature goes according to plan, and there is no guarantee of that, the new WhatsApp Web voice and video calling functionality should also be available for use in the Windows 10 and macOS versions of the chat app. . This is because these apps are simply window wrappers for WhatsApp Web. As such, you will still need to log in with a QR code and will not be able to access all of the same features found in the version of WhatsApp available on Android and iOS smartphones.
This is because WhatsApp is currently unable to create full versions of the chat app for macOS, Windows 10, or the Apple iPad. This is because WhatsApp, which is currently the most popular messaging service on the planet, does not allow cross-device compatibility. Since the messaging service is tied to a mobile phone number, users cannot seamlessly move between devices to send and receive messages.
This sets WhatsApp apart from the likes of Apple’s iMessage, Facebook Messenger, or Telegram, which can be installed on a variety of devices, with messages, call history, videos, and images syncing between versions of the app.
The beta code suggests that WhatsApp is also working hard to fix this problem, suggesting that we could soon see the new Windows 10, macOS, and for the first time, Tablet versions of the app.
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