Seeing friends and family in person just isn’t possible during a global pandemic, so WhatsApp could be making some changes to ensure that we can still have face-to-face contact (via a screen) without leaving our homes.
Changes in the app’s latest beta release suggest the limit for group audio and video calls will soon increase. It currently allows for just four participants at any one time, while others — like Facebook Messenger — can support up to 50.
The popularity of video conferencing apps like Zoom has surged in recent months as people try to stay in touch with colleagues and loved ones while they’re stuck at home. But few are as popular as WhatsApp.
With more than 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is the preferred platform for messaging and more. It’s likely everyone you know is already using WhatsApp — and it’s only going to get more useful.
WhatsApp to allow more people in group calls
WhatsApp plans to increase its limit on the number of people who can partake in a group voice or video call, reports WABetaInfo. We don’t know what the new limit will be yet, but any increase is a good one in the current climate.
Today’s limit for WhatsApp group calls is just four, which is tiny in comparison with other services — especially when you consider that Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, supports up to 50 people in Messenger.
The advantage WhatsApp has is that, unlike many others, it offers end-to-end encryption on all communications — including voice and video calls. This could explain why its limit has remained so low, and why it’s not easy to increase it.
Coming soon?
Because this information comes from a WhatsApp beta release, the changes are not guaranteed. WhatsApp may be experimenting with increased limits, but we cannot be completely sure we will ever see them.
It is a move that makes sense right now, however, and WhatsApp will likely be keen to make it as soon as possible. The platform has already made other changes, like clamping down on message forwarding to combat fake news, to help during the pandemic.
