WhatsApp, the most popular instant messaging service with over a billion plus users, has finally confirmed the availability of a major feature – video calling.
The company was testing video calling in its latest beta releases in the prior months but this is the first time it has officially announced that the feature is coming to major mobile platforms.
Read More: WhatsApp Video Calling Is Here and You Can Try It Out in Android
With the feature officially announced, WhatsApp is now coming closer to its rivals such as Facebook Messenger and Skype who have already being offering video chats for ages. However, it is banking on the popularity of its platform and its ubiquity as compared with skype which is rarely used for video calling on phones nowadays.
Video calling can be accessed the same way you access regular calls. Just tap the call icon on top of a conversation and you will be shown options to either video call or call (the regular one).
WhatsApp’s press release stated the challenges in implementing the most demanded feature of all. Especially in countries which has majority of use older phones or places with slower internet connections. Their blog post said,
We want to make these features available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks,
WhatsApp recently added GIF support and newer updated emoji (which may not be as aesthetically pleasing as their predecessors). The beta also introduced two factor authentication aside from the video calling feature which is also an important and oft demanded feature requested from WhatsApp developers. Whether the new authentication feature also comes on WhatsApp is still up in the air for now.
The update might not be available for you but the rest assured it will make its way to Pakistan in the next few days as the update rolls out in other countries. The update will be arriving on Android, iOS and Windows.
