WhatsApp fans can make calls from their Windows 10 PC or Mac thanks to a big new upgrade

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WhatsApp might be famed for its messaging service but its call feature has also boomed in popularity in recent years. The Facebook-owned firm launched the ability to make a voice call back in 2015 with Android and iOS-powered smartphones the first to get this feature.

Since then, users across the world have made millions of calls with WhatsApp recently breaking its own record with more than 1.4 billion voice and video calls made on New Year’s Eve 2020, the most ever in a single day.

Now it seems this feature is about to get even more useful with WhatsApp confirming that it’s bringing voice and video calls to its desktop app. That means Windows 10 and Apple Mac users can now phone a friend for free anywhere in the world without needing to reach for their smartphone.

WhatsApp says to make desktop calling more useful, it has made sure it works seamlessly for both portrait and landscape orientation, appears in a resizable standalone window on your computer screen, and is set to be always on top so you never lose your video chats in a browser tab or stack of open windows.

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The firm is also keen to point out that all voice and video calls made via desktops are end-to-end encrypted.

That means WhatsApp, or anyone else for that matter, can’t hear or see what is being said, whether you call from your phone or your computer.

The initial phase of this rollout will begin with simple one-to-one from the desktop to another user although WhatsApp says it will be expanding this feature to include group voice and video calls in the future which will allow more people to join the conversation.

In a post on its blog, WhatsApp said: “Throughout the last year we’ve seen significant increases in people calling one another on WhatsApp, often for long conversations.

“Last New Year’s Eve, we broke the record for the most calls ever made in a single day with 1.4 billion voice and video calls. With so many people still apart from their loved ones, and adjusting to new ways of working, we want conversations on WhatsApp to feel as close to in-person as possible, regardless of where you are in the world or the tech you’re using.

“We hope people enjoy private and secure desktop calling with their friends and families.”

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