WhatsApp, Facebook-owned instant messaging platform, has
increased the limit on the number of participants allowed to use its video call
feature from four to eight.
The platform, while announcing this in a blog post on
Tuesday, said the decision comes as users continue to seek more effective ways
to connect with their families amid COVID-19 lockdown.
It said users would now be required to update to the latest
version of WhatsApp available on iPhone or Android to access the new changes
which also affect the participant count for voice calls.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many of us are
isolated from friends and family. People all over the world are turning to
voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before,” the company said.
“Group calling has been useful and our users have asked to
connect with more people at once. We’re doubling the number of participants you
can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time.
“Over the last month, people on average are spending over 15
billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day
before the pandemic. And just like written messages, all those calls are
protected with end-to-end encryption.
“We have built group calling in a way that makes it
available for as many users as possible, including people on lower-end devices
and slow network conditions.
“People may want different ways to connect while they’re at
home, which is why WhatsApp is also available on Portal — which many users have
told us has been a great way to share their living room with family during the
quarantine.”
In a similar response to the ongoing pandemic, WhatsApp had
earlier limited messaging forwarding on its platform as part of e fforts to
slow down the spread of fake news.
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