The instant messaging app was recently reported to be working on increasing the group calling limit to stay relevant in these times of social distancing.
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Facebook-owned WhatsApp has taken a call in the right direction on its much-anticipated group call limit. It has increased the number of participants from four to eight.
The instant messaging app was recently reported to be working on increasing the group calling limit to stay relevant in these times of social distancing.
Spotted first by WABetaInfo, a fan website that tracks WhatsApp updates, the latest WhatsApp beta update has revealed the company is set to soon extend the limit of participants in a voice or video group call for its 2 billion users, including over 400 million in India.
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“WhatsApp is rolling out the new limit of participants in groups calls, for iOS and Android beta users. The new limit is: 8 participants in group calls,” tweeted WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp has started rolling out a new feature for Android and iOS beta users. WhatsApp looks to take on other popular video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Duo with this new increased limit as businesses and classrooms deal with lockdowns.
One needs to install the 2.20.50.25 iOS beta update from TestFlight and the 2.20.133 beta from Google Play Store. Other participants also need to be on the same versions otherwise they cannot be added in the group call.
While you’re in a call, WhatsApp also shows a new header, informing that the call is end-to-end encrypted.
Late last month, 70 per cent more people participated in group video calls using Facebook Messenger week-over-week, and the amount of time spent on those group video calls has doubled globally.
Similarly, voice and video call on WhatsApp has more than doubled year-over-year in the places most impacted by the virus. Apple’s FaceTime video calling tool supports 32 people while Facebook Messenger can support up to 50 people in a call.
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