Whatsapp Video Call Launches; To Be Available On Android, iOS Next Few Days

The latest addition to Whatsapp range of unique features is video calling. Whatsapp parent company, Facebook, has announced the launch of the video calling features which will see it compete with skype as well as Apple’s facetime.

This feature will be available to every WhatsApp enabled phone with a camera. You may, however, not have immediate access until the next couple of days. The roll-out will be on a country by country basis, according to the company.

WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum disclosed that the new service will be rolled out in 180 countries within hours of the new feature’s introduction in India.

“We obviously try to be in tune with what our users want,”Mr Koum said at the company’s California headquarters building.

With the significant improvements in phone cameras, battery life and bandwidth, the company feels that its the right time to to render video call for a significant proportion of WhatsApp users.

“We’re introducing this feature because we know that sometimes voice and text just aren’t enough,”  the company said.

“There’s no substitute for watching your grandchild take her first steps, or seeing your daughter’s face while she’s studying abroad.”

Video calling is encrypted

You will recall that WhatsApp adopted end-to-end encryption this year for its messages. The company said the new video calling feature will use same encryption. This means its impossible for the company, government authorities, or any other person other the the one the message or call is meant for, to read your messages or listen to calls.

How to make video calls

Making a video call on the WhatsApp app will be simple. Just follow these four-step process:

1) Open a chat

2) Tap the ‘call’ icon

3) Select ‘Video call’

4) Wait for the other person to answer

The video service is well-integrated and adds a few twists.

Users can move around the thumbnail video showing what their correspondent sees and also flick a video call in progress to the side to minimize it while checking texts or email.