WhatsApp rolled out the voice calling feature to Android users earlier this month, but the activation did not work for several users. It also appeared the invites were disabled.
WhatsApp calling feature available for all Android users
On Tuesday, users in India started receiving the new voice feature without invites. Those who have yet to see the WhatsApp update on their Android phone will have to download version 2.11.528 from the Play Store or 2.11.531 from the official WhatsApp website. Once a user has the current version of the app, they will be able to receive phone calls from other users who activated the voice feature.
Right now, the WhatsApp voice feature is exclusive to Android-based smartphones, but it will be rolled out to iOS users in the near future. WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton spoke at last week’s Facebook F8 conference where he added that the app update was set to roll out to iOS in the coming weeks. Some tech experts already managed to get the WhatsApp call feature on their iPhone, but this requires jailbreaking the device. Unfortunately, the WhatsApp calling feature is exclusive to India for now.
Facebook to expand Messenger
WhatsApp is another popular social messaging application owned by Facebook; it’s designed for messaging without using the SMS feature on most mobile phones. Users can also use it to share images, videos and audio media messages.
Although Facebook enjoys immense success with WhatsApp, it still hopes to transform Facebook Messenger into something more. Last week, the tech giant announced plans to turn Messenger into a platform. The company wants other businesses to build services on the Messenger platform. The move will be similar to the last decade’s web platform unveiling, which launched the success of companies like Zynga, the game maker behind popular titles like Zong and Farmville.
It is not a difficult prospect to see how this platform could expand. There is a popular messaging service in Asia called WeChat, and it offers a variety of services ranging from financial to taxi rides.
