Skip to main content

Move over Viber, WhatsApp can make calls now, too

1176856 autosave v1 whatsapp phone feature
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Watch out, Viber! WhatsApp, which just reached 800 million users, is rolling out voice calling for its app on iOS. Users of the popular app will now be able to call their friends and loved ones on iOS devices. Android users have already had this feature for a little while and it has gone swimmingly. Just like the release on Android, WhatsApp will not make this feature available to all iPhones simultaneously, but will instead roll out the new addition in waves over the next few weeks.

The newly updated version of the app has a number of new features worth boasting about. WhatsApp 2.12.1 has new iOS 8 compatibility updates that allow the app to share photos, videos, and links to other apps with a sharing button. It also added a “quick camera button” that allows the user to capture photos and videos, and to more quickly select a recent camera roll, photo, or video. You’ll also now be able to crop and rotate photos before sending them, as well as send multiple videos at once.

It seems that the competition around communication apps is heating up. Where Skype once had the popular vote on communicating with loved ones from afar, Viber came in and released a streamlined product for audio calls only. There’s no telling who will be the last app standing once the dust settles, but we are excited to try the new calling feature.

Update your WhatsApp today, but remember it may take a few weeks for the new feature to roll out to all users.

Editors' Recommendations

Andre Revilla
Andre Revilla is an entrepreneur and writer from Austin, TX that has been working in and covering the consumer tech space for…
WhatsApp now lets you control who can see your profile
The WhatsApp app icon on a phone with other messaging apps.

WhatsApp is now letting you decide who gets to view certain aspects of your profile.

This week, Meta's popular messaging and calling app announced via a tweet that it is offering new privacy options for its users, including the ability to choose "who from your contact list can see your Profile Photo, About, and Last Seen status."

Read more
You can finally move your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS
WhatsApp and Telegram app icons.

Moving WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS has been a painful task for years. But not anymore, as Apple and WhatsApp have made the process a whole lot easier. Starting today, Apple is adding a feature that allows you to move chats between the two platforms. The feature is a part of Apple’s existing “Move to iOS” Android application. It’s worth noting that the feature is currently available for beta users only, so non-beta users might have to wait for a week or two as it's rolled out in phases.

This is a big move since 2 million people use WhatsApp and, until now, there wasn’t an official method to move conversations between Android and iOS. There have been third-party solutions here and there, but nothing officially backed by Apple or WhatsApp. With the feature becoming available, users will be able to move their chats swiftly from Android to iOS.

Read more
WhatsApp to end support for older iPhones in coming months
WhatsApp messaging app icon.

If you’re still rocking a decade-old iPhone 5 or 5C and use WhatsApp, you should be aware that the Facebook-owned company will soon be ending support for those devices.

A WhatsApp notification spotted by WhatsApp specialist site WABetaInfo reveals that the company will end support for iOS 10 and iOS 11 in the fall. The iPhone 5 and 5C are unable to deploy iOS 12 and later, which means WhatsApp on those two handsets will stop receiving the latest updates for security, features, and general functionality.

Read more