Skip to main content

WhatsApp Call feature is still coming soon, leaked new video shows it in action

New video shows WhatsApp Calls feature

leaked images show first look whatsapp calling
In February 2014, WhatsApp promised it would be add voice calling functionality to its hugely popular instant messaging app, but the new feature has yet to arrive. However, leaks continue to indicate it’s still being worked on, and could arrive at any time.

Updated on 02-02-2015 by Andy Boxall: Added in a video showing WhatsApp calls in action.

Nearly a year after the original announcement, a video has been published on YouTube supposedly showing WhatsApp calls in action. Shot by a Reddit user from India, the video remains online at the time of writing, but the post describing it has been deleted. Running on an Android device, in-app calls to contacts are demonstrated, and made from a separate calls menu which runs alongside the chat screen.

A second test call to a different contact produced a message saying the user needed to “update the app to receive WhatsApp calls.”

At the end of 2014, a selection of screenshots were published online. Produced by Sander Tuit of AndroidWorld.nl, the renders were based on hidden code found in the latest version of the app.

There are actually two versions of WhatsApp for Android: one distributed through Google Play, and one hosted on the WhatsApp site. The screens were built from code found in the latter version, which often contains bug fixes and new features before they filter down to Google Play. There was no official response from WhatsApp.

According to Sander Tuit, the calling options will be somewhat removed from the rest of the WhatsApp experience, with a separate screen showing recent call history available from within the app. This fits in with the version seen in the video. It looks like you’ll be able to ‘slide to answer’, reply to calls with preset text responses, and connect to Bluetooth headsets. There’s also apparently an option to record calls.

Back in August last year, WhatsApp’s CEO announced the app had reached the 600 million user milestone, and added the ability to place and receive calls from within WhatsApp should swell its user base even further. Facebook splashed out $19 billion to acquire the messaging app earlier in 2014.

Article originally published on 12-26-2014

[Images courtesy of AndroidWorld.nl]

Editors' Recommendations

Apple’s iOS 16.4 beta brings new emoji, web app notifications, and more
Sample of new emoji coming in iOS 16.4

Apple has just released the iOS 16.4 beta for developers and anyone else who wants a really early look at the new software. This is the first beta for iOS 16.4, following numerous releases for iOS 16.3.

The first highlighted items for iOS 16.4 are the new Unicode 15 emoji. These are the first new emoji in over a year. Some of these new emoji include a shaking face, pink heart, light blue heart, goose, donkey, angel wing, jellyfish, pea pod, ginger, folding hand fan, maracas, flute, and more. These new emoji additions were originally proposed in July 2022, and they were added to the Unicode standard in September 2022. It has taken a few months for these to get added to iOS because designers at Apple needed to create the icons with the information provided by the Unicode Consortium.

Read more
Samsung brings the Galaxy S23’s new software to older phones
Android 13 logo on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Samsung this week announced that it will be rolling out its latest One UI 5.1 software to current Galaxy devices, including the Galaxy S22, Galaxy Z Fold 4, and Galaxy Z Flip 4 lineups. The company debuted the Android 13-powered One UI 5.1 update on the Galaxy S23 Ultra this month, and it's bringing those extra features to general users.

“One UI 5.1 is the up-to-date example of Samsung’s commitment to providing Galaxy users with the latest innovations as soon as possible,”  Samsung's Janghyun Yoon said in a blog post. “Over the past several weeks, we have worked closely with our service providers and carrier partners to bring One UI 5.1 to current Galaxy smartphones and tablets around the world within a few short weeks of the Galaxy S23 series announcement.”

Read more
The first Android 14 preview is here, and these are its 3 biggest changes
The Android 14 logo.

Google has released the first Developer Preview version of Android 14 for Pixel devices, ahead of officially revealing the operating system to the public later this year. Before you go rushing off to download and install the software, Google makes it very clear that this is for developers and app testing only, and isn’t suitable for everyday use.

If you decide to install it anyway, some features may not be operational, and you may encounter various bugs. Still, it's an important and exciting next step into this year's big Android update.

Read more