WhatsApp on Thursday introduced new calling features for desktop and mobile users, aimed at making it easier to connect with loved ones ahead of the holiday season. The company shared that over 2 billion calls are made on WhatsApp daily, highlighting the growing popularity of the platform’s calling feature.
New Calling Features on WhatsApp
Select Call Participants: When starting a call from a group chat, you can now choose specific participants, ensuring only the intended people receive the call without disturbing others. This feature is ideal for planning surprises.
Fun Video Call Effects: WhatsApp now offers ten new video call effects, including playful additions like puppy ears, underwater scenes, or even a karaoke microphone, making conversations more engaging.
Improved Desktop Calling: The desktop app has an improved calls tab, allowing users to easily start calls, create call links, or directly dial numbers with just a few clicks.
Better Video Quality: Whether calling from desktop or mobile, users can experience clearer, high-resolution video for both one-on-one and group calls.
These new features highlight WhatsApp’s continuous effort to enhance both visual and performance aspects of the app, aligning with the recent typing indicator update.
This update shows a “…” visual cue alongside the sender’s profile picture when someone types in a chat, making it easier to see who’s actively participating, especially in group conversations.
Availability
These updates have started rolling out and will be available globally across desktop and mobile in the coming weeks.
Announcing the new features, WhatsApp posted,
We’ll continue making improvements to calling on WhatsApp so you can enjoy the best quality, private calls from anywhere in the world. Happy holidays!