WhatsApp will be introducing voice and video calling feature to the messaging app’s desktop version next year.
The Facebook owned company’s move to activate voice and video calls over large screens would put WhatsApp as a contender for the top spot, and side-by-side with video-conferencing bigwigs like Zoom and Google Meet.
It is however, not clear if WhatsApp is on the quest to compete with Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, WebEx, and other bigwigs in the business.
With over 2 billion users globally, WhatsApp is only towing behind its parent firm Facebook Inc’s namesake social media app, yet it is largely used for personal calls, unlike Zoom or Google Meet.
WhatsApp said it has already started rolling out the feature to some desktop users on a trial basis – in time for the holiday season. The move of the trial was reported by WABetaInfo.
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With the second wave of Covid-19 forcing many people around the world to stay home and plan gatherings with friends and family over the internet, WhatsApp’s intention to move calls to its desktop app seems like the right move.
In related events, Zoom Video Communications Inc said it was removing the 40-minute time limit for its free accounts on all meetings globally for the holiday season.
Similarly, Google Meet has said free users would not be limited to 60 minutes for meetings, but would have the freedom of holding 24-hour long meetings till he end of March, 2021.