WhatsApp has started rolling out a feature that allows you to join group calls while they are in progress. It’s kind of like what you can do with conferencing software like Zoom or Google Meet. So now you don’t have to be added to a WhatsApp call and you can flit in and out as you please.
“Today we are introducing the ability to join a group conversation even after it has already started. This feature reduces the pressure to take a group conversation from the start and brings the spontaneity and convenience of face-to-face conversations to group conversations on WhatsApp.”
WhatsApp
There is also a menu that gives you a read out of who is already in the call and you can choose to ignore a call if you so wish. This a major step up by WhatsApp albiet a little late. The feature would have been a game changer last year before people made Zoom their video conferencing software of choice.
However, like the multiple device support function that is now in beta, WhatsApp might have been trying to work around end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp’s encryption was cited as the reason why independent desktop functionality took so long to come to fruition. And in the blog post WhatsApp put out they said that they were trying to improve the group calls while providing security and privacy.
I guess the final frontier for WhatsApp is to allow call recordings in app. This would be great for Africa because the application is popular in these parts. It could work like Zoom does these days, where you are warned that the meeting is being recorded and you can opt out. But I don’t see this happening for some time.
Share
Home