WhatsApp voice calling arrives on iOS, giving iPhone users free calls to anyone on service

Voice calling, which has already landed on the Android version of the app, uses the internet connection rather than call minutes

WhatsApp is now available on web browsers (LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP/Getty Images)

WhatsApp’s iOS app has been updated to allow voice calling, with the service itself being rolled out over the “next several weeks”.

The service allows users to call their contacts anywhere in the world, only incurring relevant data costs rather than using up minutes from their allowance.

It does so by sending the voice calls over a data connection, in a similar way to Skype or Apple’s FaceTime. As such, WhatsApp warns users that the calling could incur data costs.

When a call comes through, WhatsApp will send a push notification to the home screen. Users can then opt to pick up the call or send a message to the person calling them.

The service has already appeared in an Android update, and is also slowly arriving on people’s accounts.

The feature has long been rumoured, and appeared to begin a quiet roll-out in February. It appeared on the Android app at the end of last month and the iOS update has arrived overnight. No update has yet arrived for Windows Phone.

iOS automatically installs app updates, and so it is likely that the app will already have updated. To check, users can head to the “Updates” tab in the App Store, where the update will show and can be automatically begun if it has not yet been added.