Evidence has emerged that WhatsApp is testing a voice calling feature for the popular instant messaging app.
We’ve been expecting a voice calling element to be added to WhatsApp for about a year now. Back at MWC 2014, WhatsApp founder and CEO Jan Koum announced that it would be coming in Q2 of 2014.
The Facebook-owned company intends to make such voice calls accessible and affordable to all, with India and other emerging markets rumoured to be particular targets.
Of course, that early roll-out never happened. The company cited technical issues as reasons for the no-show, and revised its launch predictions to 2015.
Now, however, it appears as if the company may be almost ready to implement voice calling into the app. Pictures of the feature in action have been posted on Reddit, reports Venture Beat.
The new app appears to incorporate a three-tabbed UI for Calls, Chats, and Contacts, with a simple and familiar display when making and receiving calls.
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The feature is seemingly being distributed through an invite system, suggesting that this is a limited test phase. “Its like an invite thing, where a person with the call feature needs to “call” another person who wants to start using the feature,” said Reddit user pradnesh07.
They also note that the test software only appears to be working for Nexus 5 owners running Android 5.0 Lollipop.
Still, if we’ve got to such a viral testing phase, you can probably expect a general roll-out of this voice calling feature in the near future.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
