New Update Suggests Whatsapp Voice Calling Is On Its Way

From the looks of things, Whatsapp is going to introduce VoIP features very soon.

Clue one: Whatsapp now asks for Bluetooth permissions, presumably to link to your headset. Clue two: A ‘Whatsapp Calls’ folder now appears in the file storage system after the latest update. Clue three: a report by AndroidWorld, which shows the various features and screenshots of the new calling feature.

Whatsapp VoIP would allows calls over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G

The AndroidWorld report is actually based on code in the latest update on Whatsapp’s site, where the company pushes new features before they hit the Play Store. While the update doesn’t enable voice calls, it gives a glimpse into the features that we can expect when it does inevitably hit the market.

Right now, it seems like you’ll be able to call through Whatsapp over Wi-Fi, 3G and 4G networks. A call recording feature which allows for recording and playback is also available. A major factor in adoption would probably be if Whatsapp introduces charges for voice calling.

Voice calling in Whatsapp could prove to be a major headache for telcos

Whatsapp, which Facebook bought for $16 billion a few months back, has over 600 million users globally. The ubiquity of the app can be judged by the fact that Whatsapp has already replaced SMS in many countries and that trend only seems to be continuing. In fact, Whatsapp is used to send 50% more messages than SMS globally.

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The addition of voice calling would undoubtedly increase their numbers and give serious competition to Skype, Viber and other similar apps. It’s also going to be an interesting conundrum for telcos.

Mobile carriers are already worried because people have simply started to replace texts with Whatsapp and calls with apps like Skype, Line and Viber, putting a significant dent in revenues.

Some telcos in countries like India have actually proposed different data packages for VoIP services. It remains to be seen if the impact of VoIP in Whatsapp would be significant enough for Pakistani telcos to take similar steps.


  • in future traditional phone calls will be old days story, every kind of communication will take place through internet

  • will this service free of cost as LINE or as Google and Skype will charge for voice calls ? both offering Video Calls for FREE but for voice calls they are charging.

    • who told you they are charging voice calls? audio and video calls are free “line,Google & Skype.

      • am using Skype and tried Google Hangouts, both offering voice calls WITH only after pay… if you knew the method for using FREE, please inform, I will be much grateful :)

        • as long as you are calling a landline or mobile number from these services you’ll have to pay a certain amount. Calls are always going to be free on the same platform. i.e skype to skype, hangouts to hangouts, whatsapp to whatsapp

  • I always wondered, what stops whatsapp from offering the voice calling. Their voice message feature is already a good one. Since I have a group of my best friends on whatsapp the ability to conference call for our weekend program would be a treat.


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