The new beta of WhatsApp Web introduces a feature that has been expected for some time: according to the website WABetaInfo, version 2.2043.7 of the messaging app's desktop client now features icons for voice, group and video calls.
These new features are currently under development and are not yet available to the general public. However, guest developers are already working on their final implementation, and WABetaInfo speculates a formal launch in the coming weeks.
How do calls work in the new WhatsApp Web beta?
According to the images shared by the website, the controls are quite similar to what we already know from WhatsApp on smartphones.
Here's how it works: when you receive a call, a separate, vertical window will open, allowing you to accept or reject the call:
Commands for making calls now appear for WhatsApp Web developers (Image: WABetaIndo/Reproduction)
Controls to reject or accept a call appear when you are the recipient (Image: WABetaInfo/Reproduction)
When you are the one making the call, the window that appears is smaller, and also displays the status of the call, in addition to the usual controls: putting the microphone on “mute” or opening and closing the webcam, for example:
If you are the caller, the call status and microphone and camera controls will be highlighted (Image: WABetaInfo/Reproduction)
It is not yet known when the new feature will arrive definitively, despite speculation from WABetaInfo. Given WhatsApp's history, however, it should not take long, so it is worth staying tuned and updating your desktop client in the coming weeks.
Source: BetaInfo