WhatsApp will soon let Mac users make voice and video calls from the platform's desktop client, according to a new report from forthcoming feature specialist WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp has offered voice and video calling in its mobile app for some time, but the feature doesn't extend to the encrypted messaging platform's web and desktop clients.
However, that looks set to change, based on a beta of WhatsApp's desktop variant. As the screenshot below shows, users involved in the beta testing stage of the client can see new voice and video calling buttons in the chat header of the app window.
Clicking either button initiates a voice or video call to the selected contact, and then displays a separate pop-up window showing options to enable or disable video, mute the call, or hang up.
Meanwhile, a call recipient using the desktop client sees a similar pop-up window indicating someone is calling them and offering them options to accept or decline the incoming call.
It's not clear how long voice and video calls will remain in beta testing on the desktop client, but WhatsApp is fairly quick at introducing new features, so if we could well see the functionality appear in an update in the next few weeks.
WhatsApp is rolling out a new design for message bubbles on iOS, reports WaBetaInfo.
Old design (left) vs. new design (Image: WaBetaInfo)
The platform's message bubbles are rounder than before with a softer shape – similar to iMessage – while shared media files appear without the original borders, giving them a cleaner look.
The message bubble update follows several Liquid...
Wednesday July 29, 2026 3:05 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
WhatsApp has announced a handful of enhancements for group calling over the encrypted platform, including seamless call transfers across devices and a new web calling feature.
It's now possible to make and receive audio and video calls, including both one-on-one and group calls, directly from WhatsApp Web. The new browser-based service provides access to common features available on other...
WhatsApp today announced a series of updates to group chats, including an "@all" mention feature, three new poll upgrades, and a faster way to spin off new groups from existing ones.
The most notable addition is @all, which lets a group member alert everyone in a chat at once instead of tagging people individually. WhatsApp says the feature is meant for important, time-sensitive messages,...
... but WhatsApp is fairly quick at introducing new features...
That small statement has just cost you a lot of reporting credibility in my eyes.
It simply could not be further from the truth. That is unless the definition of fairly has changed since I last looked it up (which admittedly has been a while...)
another tracking app ? and now for the Mac ? hmmm - amazing that people simply allow all this
Whilst I fully agree with you on the tracking, it’s not like you have many options when most of the people you know don’t use iPhones (hence iMessage or FaceTimeisn’t an option), and you can’t exactly convince them all to switch to another platform like Telegram or Signal. In the US, where iPhone penetration is higher, it’s probably possible to go by without using WhatsApp, but in many European countries, many times you have a large share of connections that don’t use iPhones and WhatsApp is usually their go to messaging solution. For instance, in my circle of friends and family only an handful use iPhones, even though there are many who use MacBooks and/or iPads (they just don’t like iPhones or refuse to spend €1k on a phone).
An alternative would be choosing your friends based on whether they have iPhones or not! 😁
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a ~5.5-inch outer display and a ~7.8-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
WhatsApp will soon let Mac users make voice and video calls from the platform's desktop client, according to a new report from forthcoming feature specialist WABetaInfo.
