WhatsApp may be looking to double the participant count in group video and voice calls soon. The new beta version of the application on both Android and iOS comes with the ‘increased’ group call limit, according to a WEBetaInfo report. This means WhatsApp beta users can now group video or voice call with up to eight participants — over the existing limit of four participants.
According to the report, the messaging app has been working on the feature and testing the group calling with an increased number of users. The move comes at a time when people have been staying within homes and practising social distancing. With the new feature, WhatsApp is likely to take on other video conferencing applications like Google Duo and Zoom and help people with their businesses and other uses during the lockdown.
The report further said that the increased limit will be available to its users on WhatsApp v2.20.133 beta for Android. For the iPhone it will be available on WhatsApp v2.20.50.25 beta version. The feature for beta users on these two platforms points out that the feature is expected to be rolled out soon, though there’s no word when. This means only beta users can access the new WhatsApp group calling feature for now.
According to the report, the users of the application will have to update their WhatsApp in order to use the new feature. If one can not see the new feature, the user can try to back up the chat and reinstall the application. Reinstallation of WhatsApp will provide the most updated features to the users. The report further said the users will get a notification about the new feature. Earlier, the company had earlier introduced a feature, the user needs to press the call button and can directly call four people at the same time. Similarly, with the new feature, if the group has more than eight people, the application will be given an option to select eight people the user wants to call.
