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How to make a video call in WhatsApp

Simon Chandler
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WhatsApp is most widely known as an instant messaging platform, but the popular app can also be used to make video calls. Whether you want to video-call one person or a group of people, WhatsApp makes doing both easy. That said, it might not be immediately obvious how you can make a video call in WhatsApp, so this article explains what you need to do. It covers making a video call in WhatsApp and also making a group video call. The article covers both iOS and Android.

Also, check out our guide on group calls, if you’d like to learn more about how to make normal group calls on WhatsApp.

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How to make a video call in WhatsApp

There are two ways to make a video call in WhatsApp. The first involves going to the Chats tab, and the second involves going to Calls. Both are straightforward.

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Here’s the Chats method, which is recommended for calling people who you’ve already added called/chatted with on WhatsApp. First, go to WhatsApp > Chats. Next, tap on the contact you’d like to call (this assumes you already have an ongoing chat with them). Once you’ve entered your chat with your desired contact, tap the Video call icon in the top right corner of the screen (it looks like a video camera). Now just wait for your callee to pick up.

This method applies to both Android and iOS, even if WhatsApp has a different layout on each system (e.g. the Chats and Calls tabs are at the bottom of the screen on iOS, and at the top on Android).

Alternatively, you can go to the Calls tab to make a video call. Once in Calls, tap the New call icon (it looks like a phone receiver with a plus sign next to it), which you’ll find in the top-right corner on iOS and in the bottom-right corner on Android. Pressing the New call icon will bring up your contacts. Tap the Video call icon next to the desired contact to begin your video call.

Group video calls

Making a group video call on WhatsApp is very much like making a normal video call, although there’s one important twist.

If you have an existing WhatsApp group you’d like to call, you can go to your Chats tab and tap on your chat with the desired group. From there, simply tap the Video call icon as normal.

Alternatively, if you’d like to create a new group to video call, you should go to the Calls tab. Tap the New call icon (again, top right in iOS, bottom right in Android). Then tap New Group Call. This lets you add up to seven contacts to the group call (obviously these have to be contacts who use WhatsApp). Once you’ve added the desired contacts, tap the Video call button at the top-right corner of the screen.

Lastly, you can also create group video calls on the fly, by adding extra people to an ongoing video call. When in a video call, simply tap the Add participant icon in the top-right corner of the screen (tap on the middle of the screen if you don’t see this at first). This lets you choose a contact to add. Once you’ve found a new contact, tap Add. 

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Simon Chandler
Simon Chandler
Mobile Writer
Simon Chandler is a journalist based in London, UK. He covers technology and finance, contributing to such titles as Digital…
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