WhatsApp messenger service is today officially rolling out end-to-end encrypted video calling to over 1 billion users of the app across the globe (via TechCrunch).
Video calling had recently been spotted in beta versions of the Facebook-owned chat service on Android, but the feature is now becoming available across all platforms.
Tapping the call button in the top right corner of an open chat thread now brings up the option to initiate a voice or video call. During video calls, users see typical options like switching between front-facing and rear-facing camera, muting the call, or hanging up.
The addition of video calling to WhatsApp aligns the service with Facebook Messenger, Viber, Google Duo, and other chat apps which already include the feature. However, WhatsApp's huge user base and cross-platform support gives it a significant advantage over similar services such as FaceTime, which currently only works on Apple devices, and Google Duo, which only works on later versions of iOS and Android.
"We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want," said WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, speaking to Reuters. "We're obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones."
WhatsApp recently tested two-factor authentication in beta versions of the app, suggesting the next update could have a significant security focus. WhatsApp rolled out end-to-end encryption on the platform earlier this year, making it impossible for the company or state authorities to gain access to the contents of messages.
WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone.
Video calling had recently been spotted in beta versions of the Facebook-owned chat service on Android, but the feature is now becoming available across all platforms.
Tapping the call button in the top right corner of an open chat thread now brings up the option to initiate a voice or video call. During video calls, users see typical options like switching between front-facing and rear-facing camera, muting the call, or hanging up.
The addition of video calling to WhatsApp aligns the service with Facebook Messenger, Viber, Google Duo, and other chat apps which already include the feature. However, WhatsApp's huge user base and cross-platform support gives it a significant advantage over similar services such as FaceTime, which currently only works on Apple devices, and Google Duo, which only works on later versions of iOS and Android.
"We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want," said WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, speaking to Reuters. "We're obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones."
WhatsApp recently tested two-factor authentication in beta versions of the app, suggesting the next update could have a significant security focus. WhatsApp rolled out end-to-end encryption on the platform earlier this year, making it impossible for the company or state authorities to gain access to the contents of messages.
WhatsApp is available as a free download on the App Store [Direct Link] for iPhone.
Tag: WhatsApp
17 comments
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
30 months ago
whatsapp with your privacy? hope you don't mind we are the only ones listening in
Apple and investment bank Goldman Sachs plan to launch a joint credit card later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report claims the card will be rolled out to Apple...
Apple Music vice president Oliver Schusser spoke with German blog Macerkopf this week, revealing that European developers have now earned over $25 billion from the App Store since its inception...
Apple recorded its biggest decline in iPhone sales for almost three years over the holiday quarter, according to new market research data by Gartner.
Apple sold 64 million iPhones in...
Fast Company today published its annual rankings of the 50 most innovative companies in the world, with Apple dropping from 2018's top spot to 17th place this year.
According to the...
macOS, the operating system that runs on Apple's Macs, has tons of hidden shortcuts, keyboard commands, and features that have gone under the radar. In our latest video over on our YouTube...
Apple today released a white paper outlining its self-driving car testing procedures as required by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [PDF via CNET].
The short seven-page...
Alongside its new Galaxy S10 smartphone lineup and the Galaxy Fold, Samsung today announced a new wearable accessory, the Galaxy Buds.
The Galaxy Buds are Samsung's new wire-free earbuds,...
At an "Unpacked" event in San Francisco, California, Samsung today unveiled its 2019 device lineup, with a range of smartphones that will be competing with Apple's 2018 and 2019 devices.
...
