WhatsApp New Feature: 32-Person Video Chat On Test Phase

Web Desk — In a new feature, WhatsApp is going to allow users to share a direct link to a call, making it easier to stay in touch. Call Links will appear on WhatsApp this week and will be accessed through a banner at the top of the Calls tab. Call Link is only available for WhatsApp users who have the latest version of the app.

On Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg announced the feature, saying that WhatsApp users will be able to share call links with up to 32 people with a “single tap.” Sharing call links with up to 32 people was teased back in April with the announcement of another upcoming feature, WhatsApp Communities.

Call Links will support both audio and video calls, and Zuckerberg also confirmed that encrypted video calling is being tested for group calls with up to 32 people, which is notable since WhatsApp currently caps video calls at eight people.

WhatsApp’s expanded call capacity makes it a competitor to Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. With Google and Microsoft Teams, you can have 100 callers and with Zoom, you can have 300 callers. 

However, they have restrictions like call duration for free accounts, so they might not be the first choice for the billions of people already chatting on WhatsApp. Once WhatsApp’s video calling feature becomes widely available, it could become one of the best free video calling applications for smaller teams and personal networks.