WhatsApp is making it easier to initiate larger group voice and video calls. The latest beta version of the Meta-owned messaging app (v2.23.15.14 for Android) lets users begin a group call with up to 15 people. That’s more than double the previous limit of seven participants at the beginning.
WhatsApp has allowed group voice and video calls in groups with up to 32 participants since April last year. However, it has put in place a weird limit on the number of people that can join a group call from the beginning. You can only initiate a call with a maximum of seven group members. You have to select those seven participants beforehand (you can proceed with fewer participants as well).
If you want to add other group members to the call, you have to manually do that later. This is a bit of a hassle for calls in larger groups. WhatsApp is fixing it by raising the limit to 15 people (via WABetaInfo). You can now select up to 15 group members before initiating a voice or video call. Like before, you can add more later. The overall participant limit for group calls on WhatsApp is still 32, though.
As said earlier, WhatsApp is currently testing this change among beta users on Android. If everything goes according to the plan, the update should reach the stable version of the app soon. But if you can’t wait for it, you can try your luck by signing up for the beta program here. If you’re lucky enough, you may get early access to the new group call limit on the Meta-owned messaging platform.
WhatsApp is working on more new features
Over the past couple of years or so, Meta has shaped WhatsApp into a more comprehensive communication and collaboration tool. While it’s still not as feature-rich as the likes of Google Meet and Zoom, WhatsApp can do a lot that the latter two can also do. Moreover, Meta is frequently pushing new features to it. Features like screen sharing and group video calls are among those.
Going forward, WhatsApp will gain more power. The company is testing the ability to send messages to new phone numbers without saving them first. WhatsApp also recently launched an app for Wear OS smartwatches. Stay tuned to find out what Meta has in the pipeline for its messaging app in the coming months. You can click the button below to download the latest version of the app for your Android smartphone.
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