WhatsApp will bring voice and video calling to the desktop next year
Facebook Inc’s WhatsApp will introduce the voice and video calling feature in the desktop version of the messaging app next year, a company spokesperson told Reuters.
The move to facilitate calling on large screens would put WhatsApp on par with the Zoom and Google Meet video conferencing bigwigs, but it’s unclear whether it has ambitions to compete with both in the corporate space. .
With more than 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is second only to the eponymous app from its parent company Facebook Inc, but it is widely used for personal calls, unlike Zoom or Google Meet.
WhatsApp said it has already rolled out the feature to some desktop users on a trial basis in time for the holiday season, a move first reported by tech blog WABetaInfo.
A second wave of coronavirus has forced many people around the world to stay home and plan gatherings with friends and family on the internet.
Zoom Video Communications Inc said on Friday it was removing the 40-minute deadline for its free accounts on all meetings around the world for the holiday season.
On a related note, Google Meet said free users won’t have to limit conversations to 60 minutes until March.
