WhatsApp stated that it would raise the limit of participants in a group video call from four to eight. But now the company has officially rolled out the feature for iPhone users. This means that iPhone users can entertain video and voice calls for up to eight participants. Earlier, the users were only able to video call four participants at a time.
WhatsApp’s newest update for iOS users provides 8 participants in a group call, and it also evolves along with some visual improvements for iOS 13 users, including the updated message activity menu. iPhone users can go to the App Store and download the newest version of WhatsApp to get the latest features. The Android users are yet to get this feature; however, it is accessible for Android beta users.
Earlier this week, WhatsApp’s Will Cathcart had reinforced that the iPhone and the Android users will get the new update this week.
Speaking about the feature, WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook had revealed both the voice and video calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. This suggests that nobody can listen or see any private conversation, not even WhatsApp.
WhatsApp starts the group call feature at a time when the whole world is under lockdown, and the dependability on video calling platforms has increased.
The ongoing pandemic has shown to be beneficial for many emerging video calling platforms like Zoom, Houseparty, etc. However, soon after Zoom asked to instant fame, a host of security flaws were earthed by tech experts. Zoom took up many measures to update its privacy policies but ended up getting banned by some of the top tech companies and some of the governments.
However, despite the flawed privacy policies, Zoom observed an upward trend, and its daily active users grew from 200 to 300 million users in April. But now that we officially have WhatsApp’s video calling feature, the Zoom force faces massive competition from the messaging app.
How you can set up a group call on WhatsApp
If you need to chat with a group on WhatsApp, click on the call icon, and WhatsApp will give you an option to add participants if the group consists of more then four people.
If it is a group of four people, WhatsApp will automatically begin the call upon tapping the call button.
If you need to make a group call outside a group, tap on the call icon, and add participants. You can join up to eight participants at a time.