WhatsApp is stepping up its game to compete more effectively with Apple’s FaceTime, introducing three significant upgrades to its video calling capabilities that enhance user experience and functionality. These updates, which include advanced screen sharing with audio, increased participant capacity, and a new speaker spotlight feature, are set to position WhatsApp as a more versatile option for both personal and professional communication.
WhatsApp Video Call Features Unveiled
1. Screen Sharing with Audio
This feature allows users to share their screens along with the audio, making it perfect for watching videos together during a call. This mirrors functionalities offered by FaceTime’s SharePlay, enhancing the interactive experience by allowing friends and family to enjoy media content synchronously, irrespective of physical distance.
2. Increased Participant Capacity
WhatsApp has expanded the limit for video calls, now supporting up to 32 participants. This increase aligns WhatsApp more closely with FaceTime’s capabilities, catering to larger groups and making it suitable for sizable family gatherings or team meetings.
3. Speaker Spotlight
The speaker spotlight feature automatically highlights the person speaking, placing them prominently on the screen. This functionality, familiar to users of platforms like Zoom, enhances the clarity of conversations by making it easier to follow who is speaking, thus improving the dynamics of group interactions.
4. Enhanced Call Quality
Alongside these new features, WhatsApp has also introduced the MLow codec, which significantly enhances the audio and video quality of calls. The codec is designed to improve call reliability, offer better noise and echo cancellation, and provide higher-resolution video, especially beneficial in noisy environments or on slower network connections. These improvements ensure that WhatsApp calls are clearer and more reliable, even when connectivity is less than ideal.
With these enhancements, WhatsApp is not only catching up with but also potentially surpassing FaceTime in terms of functionality and flexibility. By addressing some of the key features that users enjoy in other apps, WhatsApp aims to become a go-to platform for both casual and formal video communications. As these features roll out, WhatsApp is set to offer a more robust, engaging, and user-friendly calling experience that meets the diverse needs of its global user base.