WhatsApp Web Adds Calling and Several Other Updates

For years, there has been only one way to make WhatsApp calls from your computer: the standalone desktop app. Calls from the browser version of WhatsApp – the one that most people have opened in a tab alongside their other apps – weren’t an option.

That changed today, as Meta announced that WhatsApp for Web will finally be able to make and receive audio and visual calls. Though it might not sound like much, this update actually plugs a major missing feature and brings the browser version more in line with other WhatsApp clients.

What’s Actually New Here

The headline of today’s update is that WhatsApp for Web now has a Calls tab, which holds a user’s call logs and favorites. This is the same design as the smartphone and desktop versions of WhatsApp – meaning that a user can see who they’ve contacted recently and who they talk to most often in their WhatsApp for Web tab. From there, they can launch calls to the people on their favorites list or their most recent contacts without returning to the main WhatsApp app.

Beyond making individual calls, the web version of WhatsApp will also be able to do the same things that the desktop version could: screen-sharing and reactions. This is a major convenience for anyone who needs to show someone else something on their screen or react to a visual stimulus without the hassle of video conferencing apps.

WhatsApp Updates Let You Transfer Calls Between Devices to Avoid Drops

One of the more useful updates buried in today’s changelog was a change to WhatsApp’s device-transfer system: if a call is initiated on a computer and then transferred to a phone, it will continue uninterrupted. The opposite also works: a call can be transferred from a phone to a computer without having to hang up and redial. This is handy for anyone who has had a call abruptly end because they had to leave their computer, or for people whose laptop is dying as a conversation is beginning.

Users will find that this update has made their lives slightly easier: a call that they started in a browser tab has been waiting for them when they launch WhatsApp on their phone, and vice versa.

WhatsApp’s Waiting Rooms Will Make Group Calls Less Chaotic

An equally useful addition to the WhatsApp update is its newly added waiting rooms for group calls. This is a feature that targets people who are using WhatsApp for something beyond casual chats: the ability to add people to a group call one by one instead of having the whole group jump in at once will be helpful for many WhatsApp users.

Waiting rooms work as an extension of WhatsApp’s linking system: when a user creates a link to a group call, other people who join via that link will be placed into a waiting room and held there until the host allows them to join. This system also prevents unwanted people from joining a group call, as a host can remove anyone from their call at any time. To activate the waiting room for a group call, a user simply has to toggle on “Require approval to join” for that particular link before sending it to the people they want to add to the call.

At first glance, this doesn’t seem like it would be useful to most WhatsApp users. But when you consider that WhatsApp has slowly become a substitute for conferencing software, it’s easy to see why an update like this is valuable. Many people use WhatsApp for work-related group calls because it’s an easy and accessible alternative to services like Google Meet and Zoom. The new waiting rooms bring a measure of professionalism that some otherwise unprepared users might have been lacking in their hosting duties.

WhatsApp Adds Background Noise Suppression and Faster HD Video for Calls

There are two other additions to WhatsApp’s update for the desktop and web versions that might not seem like much at first but should make calls slightly more pleasant for many users: background noise suppression and faster HD video.

The former suppresses background noises in a call, which should make it easier for people to understand what another person is saying in a noisy setting. This should be particularly useful in situations where a person isn’t calling someone else from the quiet of their own home. It doesn’t suppress every kind of sound, but it should help reduce the din in many cases.

As for video calls, WhatsApp says that its calls will enter HD within a few seconds of being made – as opposed to starting at a lower quality and upgrading later once a stable connection is established. In practice, this means that WhatsApp’s video calls will no longer start on a lower resolution that looks blurry before jumping to a sharper image.

WhatsApp Update Makes Calling Less Hassle and Adds Calling Features for Web Users

WhatsApp’s update, which was released last year, continues a pattern of updates that put it at odds with the way the service used to work.

WhatsApp, like all of Meta’s apps, has a history of letting its users treat it like the all-in-one tool for their day-to-day internet use in whatever capacity they choose: whether that’s for social media, work, or even just chatting with friends. But WhatsApp used to strongly encourage the use of phone numbers as a means of identifying oneself on the service – to the point that using a username was not a consideration for most people.

How This Fits Into WhatsApp’s Bigger Picture

This, however, has changed with the introduction of WhatsApp’s usernames. By making the ability to claim a custom handle on WhatsApp a reality, WhatsApp has opened the door to the possibility of using this handle in place of a phone number – for things like making calls. Once WhatsApp’s username system launches, it will likely be possible for a user to call another user by their handle, rather than having to rely on a phone number that they might not know.

That said, the ability to call people by their phone numbers is still available, and the update to WhatsApp that added it is a particularly useful one. WhatsApp for Web was missing out on major features that the other WhatsApp clients had, and now that it has those features it should become much less of a hassle to use.

Most people who use WhatsApp to make both personal and professional calls have likely encountered a situation where they need to use an application to make a call, but have no desire to do so. With the WhatsApp update that added calling, users will no longer have to switch from their browser tab to another application to make a call. This is a useful change that, along with features like waiting rooms and transferring a call to another device, signals that Meta sees WhatsApp calling as a viable alternative to conferencing software.

In practice, it doesn’t matter all that much whether a video call is initiated on a phone or on a laptop – what matters is that a call can easily happen at a moment’s notice. The WhatsApp update adds features that make calling a little bit easier for people who are already using WhatsApp, and for some people that could be a powerful incentive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q 1: Can you now make calls on WhatsApp Web?

WhatsApp will be able to make and receive audio and video WhatsApp calls – for the first time ever.

Q 2: What does the Calls tab do?

WhatsApp for Web gets a Calls tab that holds a user’s call history and favorites, like the smartphone and desktop versions.

Q 3: Can I share my screen when making or receiving a call on WhatsApp Web?

Yes. WhatsApp Web gets screen-sharing and reactions – two features that were previously exclusive to the desktop version.

Q 4: Can I switch a WhatsApp call from one device to another?

Yes. Calls can now be transferred from one device to another, so a call that was started on a phone can be sent to a computer or vice versa.

Q 5: What are WhatsApp’s new waiting rooms for group calls?

The waiting room lets a group call’s host approve or reject each participant before they join the call.

Q 6: Why are waiting rooms important?

This addition to WhatsApp is all about giving users who are making more official-sounding calls the ability to be more selective about who joins their call. It’s aimed primarily at users who are using WhatsApp as a conferencing tool. It will be helpful to hosts who feel the need to be more picky about who gets to join their calls – without putting any strain on the other participants, who are likely to have less reason to know what a waiting room is.

Q 7: Does WhatsApp now suppress background noises on calls?

Yes. WhatsApp now has a feature for calls that suppresses background noises in the call, reducing the background sounds in a call.

Q 8: Has WhatsApp improved video call quality?

Yes. Video calls will be streamed in high definition within a few seconds of being made – as opposed to calls that start at a low definition before jumping to a higher one.

Q 9: How do WhatsApp usernames relate to WhatsApp calls?

WhatsApp has recently begun allowing its users to register for usernames. In the future, it will be possible to use these registered identifiers to call other users – on WhatsApp Web and beyond.

Q 10: is WhatsApp’s desktop app calling available to everyone yet?

WhatsApp’s calling update for desktop is rolling out now – but it will likely take a while for it to appear on every WhatsApp Web user’s account.