WhatsApp Call Links Now Available For Wider Audience; Can It Take On Google Meet?

WhatsApp calling, especially the video calling feature witnessed a massive jump during the pandemic. The Meta-owned messaging platform has been finding new ways to enhance this. Now, WhatsApp has rolled out the ability to share video call links to a wider audience. But will this feature help WhatsApp take on Google Meet and Zoom?

Video calling during the pandemic and the consequent lockdown witnessed a massive jump in both personal and professional needs. Apps like Zoom and Google Meet brought in many features to meet user demands. WhatsApp didn't lag behind and enhanced the video calling experience with features like supporting large group calls.

How Do WhatsApp Call Links Work?

Last month, we first heard about the ability to share WhatsApp call links, which was limited to select users. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also announced the link-sharing feature for both WhatsApp voice and video calls. It looks like this feature is now rolling out to more users.

Getting a link to join a WhatsApp video or voice call gives users an advantage. It also makes WhatsApp calls more accessible, allowing recipients to hop onto a call when needed. Here are the steps to use this feature:

Step 1: Open WhatsApp > Calls tab

Step 2: Select the option "Create call link" on top

Step 3: This now opens to options like video or voice call. Users can also choose to send the link via WhatsApp or copy the link, or share the link to other platforms.

Can It Take On The Competition?

Upon receiving this link, recipients can simply join the WhatsApp call. This brings us to the question of what happens when you're not on the call. Well, unlike other apps, there's no concept of a waiting room as we commonly see on Zoom or Google Meet.

This means the user has to be active on the WhatsApp call when the recipient joins in. The link-sharing feature also presumes it's a group call, even if you send it to a single person. These are some of the complications of the feature right now, which might take a while to improve.

But it's evident that WhatsApp is working its way to make the platform a one-stop destination for all communications. This might be messages, transferring money to someone, sharing media, and now video calls with a large group of people. Yet, when it comes to professional video calls, WhatsApp isn't people's first choice.

(via)