During the COVID pandemic – 19 and lockdown periods the calls and the online video calls have become increasingly common, both for private users, and for companies that have had to find an alternative to physical meetings. Facebook and Zoom took advantage of the moment by proposing their own technologies, and WhatsApp was also updated by increasing the limit of group calls to 8 people. But there are more news in sight.

WhatsApp Web: calls and video calls arrive

As stated by the usual WABetaInfo, in fact, the WhatsApp team is working on the implementation of the functionality also on the client for desktop systems, therefore within the WhatsApp Web platform accessible via browser. The feature was implemented in the first test builds these days, but is not yet accessible to the public and provides for support for both calls and video calls with WhatsApp also on desktop .

In this case, here is WhatsApp Web has brought to the interface the buttons and graphic elements necessary to initiate calls and video calls also from PC, Mac and tablet. There are keys to start the calls that have been positioned in the upper bar, where there is also the header of the chat or group. In this case, the actual calls and video calls should take place within separate windows from those of the main chats. Not only because for voice calls there will be a compact size control bar which will guarantee, from what it seems, to hang up the phone call or even switch to a video call. If, on the other hand, a call is received, the window will expand to accommodate the caller’s profile photo, allowing you to reject the call, to answer on video, or to receive the communication using only the microphone.

Virtually only calls and video calls from the web interface on WhatsApp are missing. A shortcoming that certainly made itself felt not a little, especially in this period of smart working and lockdown. Two elements that have been available for years in the smartphone versions of the application but which are always lacking in the one accessible from the browser.

When the calls and video calls on the WhatsApp desktop client arrive also for the public version and on WhatsApp Web ? As usual, no official dates are released. The function is under development and has not yet been confirmed but in fact the landing on the Beta channel for some time can only bode well for a not too distant release. Or at least hopefully.