On Thursday, Facebook-owned popular messaging app WhatsApp has officially rolled out voice and video call support for its desktop app.
In a tweet today, WhatsApp announced end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls for its desktop app version and also shared a link to download the app on your computer.
"Sometimes you just need a little more space. Secure and reliable, end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls are now available on our desktop app," the Facebook-owned messaging app tweeted.
Till now the feature was only limited to the mobile version earlier but now users can make video calls on WhatsApp through their laptops and computers. All you need is a web camera and microphone to communicate.
About the safety and privacy - WhatsApp has ensured that just like the chats, the video and voice call on the desktop version of the app are end-to-end encrypted. WhatsApp can neither hear nor see them.
However, the feature has not been rolled out on the web. This means that the website still doesn't have the voice and video calling feature.
In order to make calls through WhatsApp from your laptop, you will have to download the app on your phone. Only then you can use the app for making video and voice calls.
WhatsApp desktop does not have support for group video calls as of now. So you can only make one-on-one calls from the desktop.
Here are some of the things you would require for making voice and video calls.
You'll need an active internet connection on your computer and phone
WhatsApp needs access to your computer's microphone or webcam depending on the voice or video calling feature you want to use
You'll need to have an audio output device and microphone connected to your computer for calls.
Open the individual chat with the contact you’d like to call.
Click the Voice call icon.
Open the individual chat with the contact you’d like to call.
Click the video call icon.
WhatsApp said its nearly five-year-old desktop app for Mac and Windows will only support one-to-one calls for now, but that it will be expanding this feature to include group voice and video calls in the future.