WhatsApp now allows video calls with 32 people, screen sharing and more

• Meta is rolling out a new update aimed at improving video calls on WhatsApp.
• As part of the new update, the cap on participants has been increased to 32 for all platforms.
• The update also brings screen sharing with audio, making watch parties possible.

Mark Zuckeberg-led Meta has started rolling out a new update for WhatsApp that brings new features for its video calls, which is aimed at making it easier and better for video calls with a larger group. The new features are a part of the new Calling Update, which is rolling out for both app and web users.

“We’ll continue making improvements to calling on WhatsApp so you can make the best quality, private calls wherever you are in the world,” WhatsApp said in its blog post.

What’s new

Screen sharing with audio

As part of the update, WhatsApp is now rolling out a new screen sharing with an audio feature. This enables users to watch videos together, making it possible to host watch parties right on WhatsApp.

Increased participants

WhatsApp has also increased the number of participants for video calls to 32. At present, the cap on participants for video calls is set at 32 for the mobile app, 16 for the Windows app and 8 for the Mac app.

With the new update which is rolling out in the coming weeks, the cap will increase to 32 for all platforms.

This will make it possible for larger groups to easily join a video call.

Speaker spotlight

The speaker spotlight is a small feature addition, which allows you to see who is talking. This basically highlights the box of the person who is speaking and makes them appear first on the screen.

New codec for improved quality

Another recent update was the addition of the MLow codec, which the company says will improve call reliability.

“Calls made on mobile devices benefit from improved noise and echo cancellation, making it easier to have calls in noisy environments, and video calls have higher resolution for those with faster connections. Audio is crisper overall, even if you have poor network connectivity or are using an older device,” WhatsApp added.

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