WhatsApp has brought free voice calling for the Windows Phone OS long after it was released for Android device users. As if that wasn’t mean enough to Lumia fans, the company has already released the feature for BlackBerry 10. Whatever issues the developers had to overcome while adapting the application to Microsoft’s mobile OS seem to have been resolved for now though.
The marketplace for Windows Phone devices is currently hosting version 2.12.60 of WhatsApp which tows in voice calling and the ability to send audio files. You can ring up contacts for free whether they’re in the country you’re in or abroad. Doing so doesn’t consume your voice minutes, but you need an Internet connection to use it. So as long as you have data balance or are within range of a Wi-Fi hotspot, you’re good to go.
The WhatsApp developers have made sure that voice calling works on all sorts of cellular networks starting from 2G to 4G. When the facility was released for Android in early 2015, there were problems with call quality. These have been solved for now and the feature was also been made available for the BlackBerry 10 platform back in April. We’re sure the company will iron out any flaws for the Windows Phone OS version of the app too.
Also see: WhatsApp voice calling is more expensive than you thought, eats up 1.3MB data per minute
It goes without saying that WhatsApp’s voice calling service does not connect to emergency numbers like those for the ambulance, police or fire brigade. This shouldn’t be a problem since such services can be accessed for free anyway. The second change to the messenger application is a minor one which allows those with Windows Phone 8.1 or higher handsets to finally send audio files, an option many have been hankering after for long.
If you’ve downloaded version 2.12.60.0 of WhatsApp for your device running Windows Phone 8 or higher, then you should be able to make voice calls through the application.