Subj : WhatsApp takes on Zoom with eight-person video calls on new Windo
To   : All
From : TechnologyDaily
Date : Fri Mar 24 2023 05:15:03

WhatsApp takes on Zoom with eight-person video calls on new Windows app

Date:
Fri, 24 Mar 2023 05:00:35 +0000

Description:
WhatsApp on Windows has been redesigned to host more people on calls with 
plans to grow that amount.

FULL STORY
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 WhatsApp may soon become Zooms next rival as its currently rolling out a 
revamped Windows client adding eight-person video calls. Additionally, the 
desktop app will now allow users to host audio calls with up to 32 people at 
once. 

If any of this sounds familiar, thats because these features have been on 
Android and iOS for quite a while now. This is part of a renewed effort by 
Meta to improve WhatsApp's desktop clients so itll be more on par with the 
mobile app. In that same vein, the user interface has also been redesigned to 
make it look more similar to the smartphone app and several under-the-hood 
changes have been made to enhance multi-device linking. Now devices will be 
able to connect to WhatsApp on Windows more quickly than before while also 
unlocking new tools like link previews and stickers. 

This update may not seem like much compared to Zoom which can hold up to 100 
attendees in one meeting on its Basic plan. However, the company states it 
has plans to increase the limit of people the app can host in group calls. So 
its entirely possible that video calls on WhatsApp could one day match up 
against Zoom meetings in terms of sheer numbers. Meta certainly isnt afraid 
of enabling massive groups on its platform as seen with the recent 
Communities feature. Managing Communities 

Speaking of Communities, WhatsApp on smartphones got an update earlier this 
week to help users manage their groups. Admins now have the ability to reject 
entrants. Its a pretty small but much-needed change that really shouldve been 
there from the beginning. Also whenever you look up a contacts name, you will 
see if the two of you are in the same community. 

As for the future, Meta states it recently introduced a new beta for Android 
tablets and its working on one for Mac desktops. Not much was revealed, but 
according to a recent report from WABetaInfo, the latest Android beta 
introduces a new toggle for polls limiting participants to making just one 
choice. For macOS, its a complete unknown. Although it could be connected to 
the upcoming  native app build with Mac Catalyst  thats currently in the 
works. We reached out to Meta for more info. This story will be updated if we 
hear back. Best encrypted messaging apps for Android of 2023



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Link to news story:
https://www.techradar.com/news/whatsapp-takes-on-zoom-with-eight-person-video-
calls-on-new-windows-app


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