WhatsApp is branching out from a humble messaging app to compete with video conferencing giant Zoom with a dedicated Windows app.
On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg announced a brand new Windows desktop app for WhatsApp, allowing users to host group calls on their computers.
Now users can host video calls up to 8 people and audio calls up to 32 people. While that’s nowhere near the 100-person capacity offered by Zoom, WhatsApp has promised to keep increasing those limits over time.
Group video calling has been around on WhatsApp’s mobile app for a while. This update is part of a renewed effort by Meta to improve WhatsApp’s desktop clients
“The new Windows desktop app loads faster and has an interface familiar to WhatsApp and Windows users,” WhatsApp said in a statement.
The Meta-owned messaging service has also launched a new WhatsApp beta experience for Android tablets and a new, faster app for Mac desktops, which is currently in early beta.
Whatsapp launched last month “the most important feature” requested by users with “status reactions”. It also announced updates to its iOS app, allowing users to multitask on video calls.
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