WhatsApp launches Joinable calls feature, lets users join group call even after it’s started
WhatsApp the Facebook-owned company has added many new features to its user-friendly program for years. This includes allowing users to use the same WhatsApp account on multiple devices at the same time, allowing users to send photos and videos without losing quality, and adding expired media support.
Recently, WhatsApp rolling out a new UI for audio and video calls and the ability to allow users to join missed group calls. At the time, this was limited to selecting WhatsApp beta users. But now, both versions are finally being released to more users.
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In the blog post, WhatsApp officially announced joinable calls, a feature that allows users to jump into group calls even when they’ve started.
If you missed an incoming group call or ignored it, WhatsApp now displays the “Tap to join” banner on the Calls tab to allow you to join immediately (as long as the call is still in progress). Additionally, users can also drop and join an ongoing group call, such as Google Meet and Zoom calls.
The incoming call UI for group calls has also been updated. Instead of the red drop-down button, there is a new “Ignore” button, and the “Join” button has replaced the green welcome button. The new UI also shows you who has already joined the call and who has been invited but has not yet joined.
Calls integrated with the new call UI are rolling out to WhatsApp users from today. Both of these upgrades are already live in the latest version of WhatsApp beta and will soon be entering a stable version.
HOW TO JOIN GROUP VIDEO CALL:
- You’ll receive a notification when someone invites you to join a group video call.
- If you can’t join, tap Ignore. To open the call info screen, tap Join.
- From the call menu, you can preview the call participants and other invitees.
- Tap Join to join the call.
- While on the call, tap Open to open the call info screen.
- Tap Add participant to add more contacts to the call.
- Tap RING to send a notification to people who’ve already been invited.
JOIN A MISSED GROUP VIDEO CALL
- Open WhatsApp, then tap the CALLS tab.
- If the call is ongoing, tap the call you’d like to join. This will open the call info screen.
- From the call menu, tap Join.
NOTES:
- Only eight participants can be active on a call at one time.
- Make sure you and your contacts have strong internet connections when placing or receiving group video calls. The quality of the video call will depend on the contact with the weakest connection.
- During a group video call, you have the option to turn your video off by tapping Video off.
- You can’t remove a contact during a group video call. The contact would need to hang up their phone to disconnect from the call.
- While it’s possible to be in a group video call with someone you’ve blocked, you can’t add a contact that you’ve blocked to the call or a contact that has blocked you.
- Video calling is only available on Android phones running 4.1 or newer.
WhatsApp has pushed a new beta update for Android users, which brings a camera shortcut directly to the gallery sheet to make it easier to access the camera while sending photos or videos. The fresh beta update arrives with version 2.24.24.23, available through the Google Play Beta Program.
Previously, WhatsApp improved the way users send photo and video albums. With that, users can select multiple photos and videos at once, and add captions to entire albums to make it simpler to share media with context.
The new update is adding even more improvements. The camera shortcut, which used to be in the chat bar, is now available directly inside the gallery sheet. It saves time and makes it easier to capture something new without navigating through multiple steps.
Now, when you’re selecting photos or videos to send, you can quickly switch to the camera without leaving the gallery. This new change might feel like an extra step for some users who were used to accessing the camera with a single tap from the chat bar. However, the update aims to combine both the camera and gallery functions into one place.
Notably, not all users will see this new camera shortcut. If you still have the camera shortcut in the chat bar, you won’t see the one in the gallery sheet. This is to avoid clutter and make the app more organized.
This feature is currently available to a limited number of beta testers, and it will be rolled out to more users in the coming days or weeks.
WhatsApp is bringing a fun new feature to its app just in time for New Year celebrations. The latest update for WhatsApp beta users arrives with version 2.24.24.17, which introduces animated confetti reactions for certain emojis.
At the moment, the animated confetti emoji reactions are available to some WhatsApp beta testers on Android. It will likely be rolled out to everyone in the coming week with the stable update, obviously, ahead of the new year.
The fresh beta update adds a playful twist to your reactions. When you use the Party Popper, Partying Face, or Confetti Ball emojis to react to a message, colorful confetti will burst out of the emoji to create a lively and celebratory animation.
The confetti animation is powered by Lottie, a framework that helps create smooth and high-quality animations. This ensures the effects don’t slow down the app or use too much memory to make it run smoothly without affecting performance.
The new feature is perfect for marking moments of joy or sharing the excitement of the holiday season. If you’re a beta tester, you can try it out by reacting to a message with one of the festive emojis and watching the confetti burst to life.
WhatsApp introduces camera and gallery shortcuts in chat bar
WhatsApp is rolling out a new update for beta testers with version 2.24.24.16, which brings new shortcuts to the chat interface. This update introduces a gallery shortcut to make it easier to share photos and videos from your phone directly within chats.
WhatsApp recently replaced the camera shortcut in the chat bar with a gallery button for beta users. While this change allowed users to quickly share stored photos and videos, many users missed the camera shortcut, which gave them fast access to the camera for capturing moments on the spot.
Based on feedback, WhatsApp has decided to bring back both shortcuts in the chat bar. Now, users will see two buttons in the chat interface – one for quickly taking a photo or video using the camera and another for browsing and sharing photos or videos from their gallery.
These two shortcuts for the chat interface of WhatsApp make it quicker to share photos or capture new ones, without having to navigate through extra menus.
This feature is still in beta, so it’s available to only some testers right now. The feature will gradually be rolled out to more users in the coming weeks
WhatsApp is collecting feedback to see if the new dual shortcut setup improves the experience or if it feels cluttered. If you are testing beta on WhatsApp, install the latest version now.