WhatsApp Now Supports Calls on the Web, Call Transfers, and More

WhatsApp is starting to roll out new calling features across all platforms, including the web app, which is finally adding support for audio and video calls. It’s also becoming possible to transfer calls between devices without hanging up.

To improve the quality of audio and video calls, WhatsApp is adding support for background noise suppression and Instant HD video. The latter will enable a high-definition video stream right at the beginning of a video call.

For group calls, WhatsApp is also introducing a new waiting room feature. When creating a WhatsApp call link with “Require approval to join” enabled, other users will first need to enter the waiting room before being allowed to join the group call.

These new calling features will be rolling out gradually to all WhatsApp users. It’s good to see the WhatsApp team bridging the feature gap between the web and desktop versions of the app, and Windows users no longer get a better experience with the desktop app after it was downgraded to an inferior WebView2 version last year. WhatsApp for Mac, however, is a native app that will soon get a Liquid Glass design refresh, according to a recent report from WABetaInfo.