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Never miss a group chat again! The new WhatsApp feature allows you to make video calls with up to 8 people from your DESKTOP
- New update for WhatsApp for PC loads faster and has a redesigned interface
- However, users of Apple’s Mac computers will have to wait for a similar update
- It follows the introduction of three major changes to the WhatsApp experience
WhatsApp had been making video calls on a Windows PC that looked more like Zoom, thanks to a new desktop app update.
WhatsApp for Windows can make video calls with up to eight people and audio calls with up to 32 people, just like on the smartphone version.
It’s also faster than before and syncs better with a smartphone, but it’s still built with an interface familiar to WhatsApp and Windows users.
However, Mac users will have to wait for a similar update, which is currently in its early stages, according to Meta’s platform.
It follows the introduction of three major changes to the WhatsApp experience, including sending up to 100 photos or videos at once.
WhatsApp said: ‘The new Windows desktop app loads faster and is built with an interface familiar to WhatsApp and Windows users. You can make group video calls with up to 8 people and audio calls with up to 32 people’
WhatsApp started as a mobile app and those roots remain as strong as ever blog post.
“But with hundreds of millions of people using WhatsApp on computers and tablets, we’re focused on making the messaging and calling experience even better across devices.”
The message states that the limit on the number of users who can participate in video and audio calls will be increased over time “so you can always stay in touch with friends, family and colleagues.”
Overall, the changes will suit people who work from home on a PC, giving them a better experience when connecting with colleagues.
WhatsApp messages on a Windows PC are still protected by a security standard called end-to-end encryption.
End-to-end encryption ensures that only the two participants in a chat can read messages, and no one in between – not even the company that owns the service.
WhatsApp, which was bought by Zuckerberg’s company in 2014 for about $19 billion, says every private message sent through WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default.
The feature in WhatsApp’s settings allows users to enter the name of a proxy server and use it to connect to the Internet (file photo)
Despite this, end-to-end encryption has not been standard on other Meta platforms.
For example, Facebook only started testing end-to-end encryption on its Messenger app by default last year.
Connecting via proxy maintains the same high level of privacy and security that WhatsApp provides.
“Your personal messages are still protected by end-to-end encryption – so they stay between you and the person you’re communicating with and aren’t visible to anyone in between, not the proxy servers, WhatsApp or Meta.”
WhatsApp – which regularly introduces new features and tools in the app to optimize the user experience – made three major changes in February.
The first feature allows WhatsApp users to send up to 100 photos or videos at once in a given chat, compared to just 30 before.
It means WhatsApp users no longer have to spend time sending large amounts of media through the app to friends and family.
Android users can also now include longer group chat names and descriptions, and even add captions when sending documents.
WhatsApp also recently introduced the ability for people to create personalized avatars and use them as stickers and profile pictures – just like on Facebook, which is also owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta.
These avatars allow users to create a digital version of themselves from billions of combinations of “diverse hairstyles, facial features, and outfits.”
The avatars can be used as a profile picture or sent in the form of one of 36 custom stickers that reflect different emotions and actions.
Late last year, users could preview their voice messages before sending them, avoiding awkward mistakes or re-recording notes.