WhatsApp revamps video calls: up to 32 participants, screen sharing and more

A new component will improve audio and video quality when there is a poor internet connection

With the featured speaker users will not lose sight of who is speaking in the video conference
With the featured speaker, users will not lose sight of who is speaking in the video conference. (WhatsApp)

WhatsApp has just added a number of big changes to its video calls. Now, users can call more people, share their screen with audio, and even have a featured speaker in the video conferences of many participants.

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“Today we have several updates that will further improve calls on all devices, which we will implement in the coming weeks,” WhatsApp mentioned.

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How many people participate in a WhatsApp video call

Thanks to the recent update of WhatsApp, users can make video calls with up to 32 participants on all their devices. This means that they have the possibility of holding a videoconference with that number of people from their mobile device or computer.

How to share screen and audio in a WhatsApp video call

WhatsApp had recently added the screen sharing function in its video calls. Users only had to select the phone icon with an arrow that was in the video call menu but they could not share the audio of what they were sharing.

Users can now share screen and audio in WhatsApp video calls
Users can now share screen and audio in WhatsApp video calls. (Illustrative image)

WhatsApp announced that this is no longer a problem. “This feature, ideal for watching videos with other people, allows you to share audio when sharing your screen,” the Meta company said.

Another new feature that WhatsApp brings is the featured speaker. In this way, users will be able to see who has the word easily because the person speaking will automatically stand out and appear first on the screen. This tool is perfect for video conferencing with many people.

How is the quality of WhatsApp video calls

Within a video call there is a determining component for audio and video quality called a codec. There are several types and recently, Meta added MLow, which is responsible for eliminating noise and echo interference if the environment is noisy

The MLow codec is a component that can improve the audio and video quality of WhatsApp video calls
The MLow codec is a component that can improve the audio and video quality of WhatsApp video calls. (Illustrative image)

In addition, with the MLow codec, WhatsApp indicates that the audio will be clearer, even if the user has poor network connectivity or an old device. They also ensure that video calls will have higher resolution if the user’s connection allows it.

“We will continue to work tirelessly on audio and video quality so that you can make clearer calls wherever you are,” WhatsApp said.

How to use WhatsApp communities

WhatsApp communities are one of the most recent tools on the messaging platform. They are nothing more than the union of several groups and are ideal for bringing together people with similar interests.

For example, the principal of a school has a group for each classroom in the institution. She can create a community of all these groups with the goal of spreading general information such as days off school, activities that involve the entire school such as a bazaar and more.

WhatsApp added events to the communities so that, for example, that director can announce when there will be a science fair with a day, date and time. “To bring communities even closer together, we are introducing a new feature that will allow you to organize events on WhatsApp,” the company said.

With events, it’s easier to plan meetups directly on WhatsApp, whether it’s a virtual meeting or a dinner to celebrate a birthday. Anyone can create an event and the others can respond so that the whole group knows who will be attending.

Guests can also find the event on the group’s information page, and those attending will be automatically notified when the date approaches.

First, the events will be integrated into groups that belong to a community and will soon be available in all groups.

“Over the next few months, we will continue to roll out new features in communities and groups to give people more tools to keep their lives organized on WhatsApp,” the Meta company concluded.

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