Whatsapp Web will soon arrive the possibility to make video calls up to 50 people. Here’s how it works and when it will be available
WhatsApp Web is the PC version of the messaging app and it doesn’t need much introduction: anyone who has a computer, at least once has used it. The web-app is very convenient because it has all the main functions present in the smartphone application. All except one. Which one? The ability to make calls and video calls.
The developers never wanted to implement this feature and those who want to make a group video call on WhatsApp from the PC are forced to use alternative solutions, such as an Android emulator on which to install WhatsApp. A solution not for everyone and quite complicated. Now, however, the technicians seem to have been convinced to release a new tool to make video calls from WhatsApp Web. This is Facebook Rooms, the new platform to make group calls up to 50 people. The tool, in fact, will be integrated directly within the WhatsApp web-app and users will be able to start group video calls by clicking a single button. Here’s how to do it.
What is Facebook Rooms
Before explaining how to make group video calls on WhatsApp Web and WhatsApp Desktop (the app that you can download from the Windows Store and Mac App Store), let’s briefly explain what Facebook Rooms is. It is a new platform, still in beta, that allows you to make group calls and video calls up to 50 people, even without having to register with the well-known social network. The administrator of the call can share a link and invite people to join the group. But that’s not all. You can create multiple thematic rooms, to divide the group of people into sub-groups. As you may have guessed, Facebook Rooms is a candidate to be a viable alternative to the many platforms for video conferencing, such as Zoom, Meet, Teams and Skype.
How to make video calls on WhatsApp with Facebook Rooms
As often happens in these cases, the guys at WaBetaInfo have unearthed references to group video calls in the beta version of WhatsApp Web. In version 2.2019.6 there are screenshots showing how to make group calls on WhatsApp Web. It must be clarified that the feature is not yet available and will be in the future.
What the guys at WaBetaInfo have discovered are new shortcuts that allow you to create via WhatsApp Web a video call on Facebook Rooms. How to do it? You have to enter the WhatsApp group of friends, press on the icon with the clip in the upper right corner and icons will appear: the last one will be dedicated to Microsoft Rooms. By clicking on it, a screen will appear explaining what Microsoft Rooms is and by pressing on the “Continue in Messenger” button, the video call on the other Facebook messaging app will start. So, it’s pretty clear that you’ll be exiting WhatsApp Web and entering Facebook Messenger to make the video call.
Another shortcut has also been inserted in the top left corner: by pressing on the icon with three vertical dots, a menu will appear with several options, including the new “Create a room”. By clicking, a message will appear to start video calling on Facebook Rooms.
When the new tool arrives
Making predictions is quite difficult. For the moment, the feature is under development and has not been released even in the beta version. We will have to wait some more time before making video calls on WhatsApp from PC.