WhatsApp is currently the world’s most popular messaging platform. It is reported that WhatsApp has been downloaded over 1 billion times on the Google play store. This is a very huge figure no matter how you look at it.
Well, it looks like WhatsApp is not about to settle for just messaging as the company is rumoured to be working on a voice calling feature that it will add to its app. WhatsApp is currently testing the feature on iPhones in select markets around the world.
For you to be able to get the voice call feature, you will need WhatsApp version 2.11.17.444 which is still in beta. This version is not officially available on the App store and can only be installed on a jailbroken iPhone. I will have to urge you to be keen when jailbreaking your iPhone and installing apps that are not available on the App store.
From the screenshot above, you can see small UI changes with a phone icon below the User’s profile picture. You can click on the call button to bring up the dialler and call whoever you want. Users will also be able to see their WhatsApp call history.
WhatsApp has not officially communicated about this update and so am not sure about the specifics of when it will be available. But since the beta version is available, my guess is that it may be launched in the next 3 months or so. WhatsApp changed how we communicate and led to the low numbers of text messages sent. It will be interesting to see how this update will affect traditional voice calling and how mobile operators will react.