WhatsApp, being one of the most popular instant messaging apps with more than a billion users warrants a lot of attention even if a small change has been made to its application.
This time it is not a small change, but a big and a much-awaited one. The Android users of WhatsApp finally get to enjoy the feature of video calling. The feature has been functionally available with the updated WhatsApp version 2.16.318. The feature is still in its beta testing stage and is available only to a small group of users who have registered themselves under the official Android beta testing program.
WhatsApp has been trying to roll out its video calling feature since long. There were reports in May suggesting that the video-calling feature has been added to the instant messaging app and that it was spotted in a few beta versions of the app. However, the video calling feature was shut down even before it could make its way to a broader audience. Just last week, there were a few users of WhatsApp beta version for Windows Phone who reported that they noticed a small change, probably on the server’s side, which also allowed them to access the video calling feature.
About the Video Calling Feature
The latest feature of video calling can be accessed by the users from the ‘Calls’ tab of the WhatsApp application. In order to make a video call, the users will have to just tap on the call dialer icon that is present beside the Search icon. After pressing the dialer icon, an option will be displayed to the users asking if they want to make a WhatsApp voice call or a video call. As of now, this feature will work only if both the caller and the recipient of the call are a part of the Android beta testing program. If the call recipient is still using the previous version of the app or if the user is not a part of the beta testing program, the caller will be prompted with a message reading “Couldn’t place call”. It will also mention the name of the recipient and say that the “Recipient (Name) needs to update WhatsApp to receive video calls”.
According to the review of a few users who had tested the feature, A WhatsApp video call that is placed on an Android device works pretty well even when the networks are slightly low. However, the audio quality has been regarded as a pain in all kinds of networks. Many different interfaces have been currently noted by the users wherein a few users are seeing a profile picture when a video call has been placed, while the others are looking at themselves Live on a front camera while making or receiving a call.
The users will have to update their WhatsApp application to the beta version 2.16.318 on their Android devices to make outgoing video calls or to receive them too. The users who are itching to try the video calling feature immediately will have to register themselves under the beta testing program for Android. There have been instances reported wherein even the beta version users were not able to use the feature. According to reports from Android Police, these users will have to try again by wiping out their WhatsApp data and re-logging into the app. It is recommended to backup all the data before wiping it and updating the app again. The latest beta version 3.16.318 can also be updated via APK Mirror.
By introducing the very common nowadays video calling feature to its instant messaging app, WhatsApp has pushed its ‘A’ game a bit further, which could effectively ruin Duo, the single-purpose video calling app from Google. For that matter, WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, has been working hard in the past few months to steadily improve its product by adding new features like the ability to draw and add new emojis and stickers like Snapchat, adding support to Siri on iOS devices to place calls and compose messages, and adding ‘@’ user tags in group conversations.
There is no information yet about when the video calling feature will be out for all the users.