WhatsApp’s voice and video calls had been limited to its mobile apps till now, but there have been strong hints that they might migrate over to the desktop and web versions soon. In fact, a few users of the desktop client have reportedly started seeing voice and video call buttons now, albeit with beta tags beside them, indicating that users might experience some hiccups while using them.
The voice and video calling features on WhatsApp will work in separate windows that will open beside the main one. This limited rollout is only being reported for the desktop clients of the app, but we’ve seen proof in the past that this update is being brewed for the web version as well.
What this means is users will be able to take advantage of high-end hardware in their voice and video calls. They can use high definition webcams and high-quality microphones on their calls.
Right now, users of WhatsApp’s desktop and web versions can, in fact, start video and voice calls, but only with the help of Facebook Messenger’s Room support. This process needs a number of additional steps and the calls can’t really count as WhatsApp calls.
WhatsApp recently also introduced disappearing messages to its Android and iOS applications. This feature automatically erases the messages a user has sent after a certain period of time. It had been available in a number of other apps like Telegram for a long time now.
Provided that the other contact has the feature turned on as well, the messages on that chat will completely disappear in seven days. However, these messages can indeed be saved by grabbing screenshots.
According to WABetaInfo, new voice and video call support can be expected to reach more WhatsApp for desktop users in the coming weeks.