Comments
(See updates at the end of the report)
Whatsapp has introduced a voice call feature. At present, the new feature is available only for Android phones.
There was a calling facility in the app earlier too, but it was a routine phone call through the mobile network where we would have to pay normal call charges.
Enabling Whatsapp voice calling is extremely easy. You have to get the latest version from the Whatsapp site. The best way to go about it is to access the site from your mobile (www.whatsapp.com). When you click the download option the Whatsapp site will recognise that you are accessing it from an Android phone and will take you to the download page. When you click on ‘download’, an .apk file will be downloaded (the version you need is 2.11.552 or above).
You can also download the .apk file in the computer ( http://www.whatsapp.com/android/current/WhatsApp.apk ) and sideload it in the mobile. The URL can also be directly typed on the mobile browser.
There is no need to uninstall or delete the existing Whatsapp app. Go to your file manager and click on the .apk file. For installing .apk files, you must have enabled ‘allow installation of apps from unknown sources’ in the security settings.
That was the easy part. What is difficult is you need someone with the feature already enabled to call you on Whatsapp. Once you receive the Whatsapp call, restart the app after you close the call. You will now have three tabs on top that say Calls, Chats and Contacts. You can start making Whatsapp calls to those who have this feature enabled.
iOS (iPhones), BlackBerrys and other platforms are yet to get the feature.
Update 1: There are users who are unable to get the voice calling feature, and others for whom it is not working. Whatsapp keeps updating the version on its site, though it doesn't release it on Google Play. The latest version (as at 15:30 HRS Indian Standard Time) is 2.11.557.
Update 2 : The app is still not perfect. Users are reporting lags of over five seconds or are even unable to hear the other party. There are those who are unable to see the Call tab even after updating to the latest version and receiving the call from an user. Many are also mistaking the normal call button (that routes call through the mobile network and is charged) for the new call feature. Whatsapp will hopefully rectify the issues.
Share your feedback to @dinakaran
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.