AN upcoming WhatsApp update is set to roll out three new perks that aim to boost group calls and video chats.
The Meta-owned messenger used to be a text-only service, only bringing in the ability to make calls six years after it was first launched.
WhatsApp has made big strides in bolstering its calling capabilities since 2015.
It introduced 32-people-strong voice chats late last year.
Today the company has extended that participant number to video calls.
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Now up to 32 people can hop on a video call, be it for a work meeting or virtual birthday party.
This put it on par with Apple's native video calling app FaceTime.
A video chat that large can quickly descend into chaos, with a cacophony of voices all scrambling on top of one another.
That's probably why WhatsApp has also made a new speaker spotlight feature, which lets callers see who's talking much easier.
It automatically highlights whoever is speaking, and bumps their profile to the top of the screen.
In August last year, the messenger introduced screen-sharing support for video calls.
WhatsApp has, again, gone a step further, having now introduced screen sharing for audio - which is ideal for long-distance relationships.
It lets users listen to voice notes, music and audio files together, at the same time.
As more and more people have relied on our products to make calls over the years, we’ve been working on new ways to ensure all calls have a solid audio quality
Meta
So you can speak on the phone with an overseas friend, while also watching your favourite clips.
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BETTER QUALITY
On top of that, WhatsApp parent Meta has improved call reliability for conversations had on older phones or under poor network connectivity.
That's thanks to MLow, the Meta Low Bitrate (MLow) codec, which Meta has recently launched.
It also helps to cancel out echo and background noise.
"As more and more people have relied on our products to make calls over the years, we’ve been working on new ways to ensure all calls have a solid audio quality," Meta said.
