What you need to know
- WhatsApp is highlighting a few updates to improve its calling experience across Android, iOS, and PC.
- The app now supports “Speaker spotlight” which highlights the person talking and moves them to the front alongside audio during screen share.
- These updates will roll out over the “next few weeks” and join other updates to improve calling through the MLow codec.
WhatsApp details a few improvements coming to its platform that are aimed squarely at your calling experience.
As detailed in a blog post, one of the first updates involves a “speaker spotlight.” WhatsApp states that when on a call with multiple people, the one speaking will appear first on your screen. Accompanying this will be a highlight to ensure everyone recognizes who’s got the mic.
Next, WhatsApp is bringing audio to screen-sharing sessions. The platform states that users can now watch videos together or anything else with audio, and your friends and family will hear it, too.
WhatsApp’s latest update concludes by expanding its participants list for a call to 32 people. This applies to video calls, and every device running WhatsApp supports this new expansion of the feature.
The service states that these updates will arrive on Android, iOS, and desktop computers “over the next few weeks.”
The Meta-owned app highlights its recent attempts to better the audio and video calling experience through the MLow codec. The codec improves call reliability while mobile users see updates to noise and echo cancellation. Other video updates include bringing a higher resolution for users with quicker internet speeds.
Additionally, older Android and iOS devices can still enjoy crisp voice calls despite rocking some aged hardware.
These updates for calls on WhatsApp are light, but it follows behind some major design changes. The Head of WhatsApp Design, Idit Yaniv, stated that the app’s redesign was made with three principles in mind: to be fresh, approachable, and simple.
The old navigation bar with Chats, Status, and Calls tabs is now positioned at the bottom of the UI, and some new chat filters are entering the mix. WhatsApp also offers its own dark mode now, a highly requested user feature over the years.