After offering us desktop integration, better security and plethora of other features, WhatsApp seeks to grow even larger by extending into a new market.
This time, it’s apps such as Skype or Viber which are on the competition sight.
The new feature is being updated for beta testers as we speak and if past experience has thought us anything, is that video calls may land in stable branch within a matter of weeks.
At the moment though, the new service seem to be far from perfect as random hang-ups and voice distortion may sometimes occur.
However, we must keep in mind that this is a new service therefore it’s only natural for it to suffer a bit of shakiness as a result of its very young age – that’s what beta testing is for, after all.
WhatsApp video calls
Users of the feature may start a video call by either go inside CALLS tab > tap the phone icon at the top > then click on the video icon next to the person you wish to initiate a call with.
Alternatively, you may also open up a chat window, whether existing or new, and once again tap the phone icon at the top > then select whether you wish to make a voice or video call and the call will be made.
One thing to note is that the person you’re calling to also has to have a WhatsApp version that supports video calls, otherwise it won’t work.
Once the conversation has started, you’ll see a video stream captured by your partner’s front camera, while, another small window will be showing on top of that video stream, displaying what your camera captures so you could see what your partner is seeing.
If you feel like giving WhatsApp video calls a try prior to it being integrated to stable branch, you may do so by clicking the button below which will take you to a site containing latest WhatsApp versions.
However, keep in mind this is still a beta, thus bugs may occur and in general, it’s not recommended for the wide public.
