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WhatsApp: New feature encourages users to switch from voice to video calls
It's currently only available to users of the beta app, which you can sign up to easily
WhatsApp has made a subtle change that will encourage users to make video calls instead of voice calls.
The messenger app has released a beta update that introduces a new video call switch button.
It appears when you’re in the middle of a WhatsApp voice call, and tapping it will send a request to the person you’re talking to, asking if they want to switch from voice to video.
If they accept the offer, the call will be switched. If they decline, the voice call will continue as normal.
The new feature was spotted by WABetaInfo, which says it is currently only available to people who have signed up to the beta version of WhatsApp.
That’s where the company tests experimental and upcoming features.
You can sign up to it here, in order to try them out before they officially launch.
The current version of WhatsApp forces you to end a voice call before you can switch to a video call, so the new feature should save you a little bit of time and unnecessary hassle.
WhatsApp calls are currently only available in one-on-one conversations, but recent reports suggest the functionality could come to group chats in the near future.
In the company’s announcement for Live Location tracking, it included a graphic that clearly shows the symbols for voice call and video call inside a group conversation.
Such a change could prove both useful and potentially annoying.
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