WhatsApp has started rolling out the video and voice calling feature to more desktop users, although the option is still in beta and not everyone will see it right away. WhatsApp had confirmed that the function will be introduced from 2021, Reuters reported in December 2020. Currently, the video and voice calling function is only available in the mobile version of the messaging app.
Calling used to be available to select users and now multiple people will see the option on their WhatsApp web. However, it is still only available to beta testers, that is, to users who rely on the test build of the app and not the public version.
The company is expected to release the stable version in the coming months. Some users who see the call option in the desktop version have posted screenshots of the same on Twitter.
A verified Twitter user by name Guillermo Tomoyose shared a screenshot that shows how the calling feature looks and works in the real world. The picture clearly shows the calling feature for video and audio calls with the beta icon next to it.
He added, “WhatsApp Web calls are not available through a web browser. In my case, the option appeared in the app for Windows 10 downloaded from the Microsoft Store or WhatsApp website.”
WhatsApp Launches WhatsApp Beta Views On WhatsApp Desktop For More Users!https://t.co/4EduW4bHfP https://t.co/JIFRFLB8je
– WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) January 21, 2021
The screenshot shows that the button for voice and video calls is in the chat header, just like in the mobile version of WhatsApp. Whenever a user receives a video or voice call on WhatsApp Web / Desktop, a small box is displayed which they can use to answer, reject or ignore an incoming call.
Already in December 2020 WaBetaInfo reported that “WhatsApp introduces beta calls for certain users, but unfortunately it is only available as a beta feature to very few users. We hope you are in luck, but if not, don’t worry: more users are getting this activation every day, and WhatsApp Desktop is a higher priority right now. “
