WhatsApp has enhanced the video calling experience by introducing the Screen Sharing feature with audio support and the new Speaker Spotlight feature. Additionally, it has increased the maximum participants limit for video calls to up to 32 people.
In August of last year, WhatsApp introduced screen sharing support for video calls. The instant messaging application has now improved this experience by enabling audio sharing alongside your screen. This allows you to watch videos with your preferred contacts during WhatsApp calls.
Another significant update WhatsApp has made to video calls is the expanded participant limit, allowing users to add up to 32 people in a single video call across devices.
Prior to this update, WhatsApp had a maximum limit of 32 participants on phones, while users on Windows and macOS could add up to only 16 and 8 participants respectively.
WhatsApp's expanded video call support (32 participants) across devices is in line with Apple's FaceTime, which also allows iPhone and iPad users to have up to 32 participants in video calls.
Note that Google Meet and Zoom allow users to have up to 100 participants even in their free basic plans.
WhatsApp's recent set of updates also introduces the Speaker Spotlight feature, which automatically highlights the speaker in a video call, making them appear prominently on the screen.
Additionally, Meta, WhatsApp's parent company, has introduced the Meta Low Bitrate (MLow) encoding scheme to enhance call reliability, even for users with weak network connections or older devices.
This update builds upon the important Opus open-source encoding software previously deployed by Meta across its real-time communication products. MLow is already available on Instagram and Messenger calls and is now being rolled out on WhatsApp to improve the calling experience across Meta platforms.
In addition to MLow, WhatsApp stated in a blog post that all recent updates related to calls will be rolled out to eligible users in the coming weeks.
