Video calling with WhatsApp Desktop now possible: this is how it works
WhatsApp Desktop has added a function to make video calls to each other. You can also speak to each other only via audio. In this article we explain how it works.
Read on after the ad.
Update: video calling with WhatsApp Desktop
WhatsApp announces the new feature via a press release. A select group of users has been able to make (video) calls with WhatsApp Desktop since last December, but now the option is available to everyone. You can make video calls, but you can also only speak to each other via audio.
The new feature is rolling out gradually to all WhatsApp Desktop users. Don’t see a button to call yet? Then you have to be patient.
How to make video calls with WhatsApp Desktop:
- Download WhatsApp Desktop for macOS (or Windows);
- Open the program and add your WhatsApp profile by scanning the QR code with your smartphone;
- Go to the person you want to reach and press the bell icon. You can of course also start a new conversation by pressing the plus button.
Group conversations are added later
For the time being, you can only have individual conversations with each other. WhatsApp promises to add group calling later. All conversations are secured with encryption. This means that only you and the person you are calling can listen to what is being said. WhatsApp and parent company Facebook also do not know what you say to each other.
The moment you call each other you will see yourself in a small window in the corner. It doesn’t matter from which device you are trying to speak to each other. It is therefore possible to call someone on her or his smartphone via WhatsApp Desktop from a desktop or laptop. There is no time limit on conversations.
WhatsApp Desktop is not the same as WhatsApp Web. The former is a standalone program, while you use WhatsApp Web in a browser. You cannot use the browser extension of WhatsApp to call each other yet.
More about WhatsApp
WhatsApp’s smartphone apps have been able to video call for years. It is also possible to set up group conversations. We explain how that works in the article below. In addition to WhatsApp, there are many other apps for making (video) calling with each other. Consider, for example, FaceTime, Google Meet or Zoom.
Also read: WhatsApp group calling with video and audio: that’s how it works
