WhatsApp hasn't fared much better in recent weeks, but there is one piece of news that should convince you not to move on to other services like Signal or Telegram: video calling from your desktop.

WhatsApp has offered video calling for quite some time, but its web client has lagged behind. But WhatsApp's web client was lagging behind. That is if you are a beta user.

The COVID-19 craze has created a huge demand for video calling software as people try to get face time without being physically nearby WhatsApp has stepped up its mobile video calling efforts, but desktop calls have always been absent. This has allowed competitors like Zoom and Google Meet to gain the upper hand.

The feature has already appeared in previous WhatsApp beta versions, but the difference this time is that it is actually usable; according to WABetaInfo, the feature is being rolled out gradually and will be available to all beta users in the next few weeks.

It is not yet known when this feature will be included in the public version of WhatsApp. However, the fact that beta users can finally make calls over the web suggests that this feature will be released in the not-too-distant future.

The feature works just like a phone call, with a pop-up window to answer or reject incoming calls. Simple, but that's all it takes. And it's a wonder it took WhatsApp this long to bring this great feature to the desktop.

Of course, WhatsApp Web differs from a typical video calling client in that sessions are linked to the phone and cannot be used alone. This is due to the way WhatsApp works: conversations and messages are stored on the device, not on Facebook's server farm.

So if you want to use your account on your laptop, your phone must be involved. This is a tricky system, but at least the user's privacy is ensured.

This is the latest in a series of privacy issues WhatApp has been dealing with recently: an update to WhatsApp's privacy policy detailing tweaks to how it shares data with Facebook has sparked a user revolt and millions of people have fled to the service.

WhatsApp insisted that there were no major changes and that the changes only applied to data collected when interacting with companies on WhatsApp. However, rumors that the content of private messages would be shared with parent company Facebook did not stop and WhatsApp was forced to postpone the deadline. The measure appears to be intended to allow users to read the policy and understand what will be changed, but for many users the damage already seems to be done.

Desktop video calling may help keep people around. Or they may turn to one of the best WhatsApp alternatives for something more secure.