WhatsApp has added fully encrypted video and voice calls to its desktop app

The Facebook-owned chat app has long supported video and voice calls in its iOS and Android mobile apps, but these features were not available on desktops or laptops This lagged behind Zoom and Google Meet and was especially problematic during the coronavirus pandemic, when more people were communicating virtually

The feature was trialed in a beta version of the desktop app late last year and is now being rolled out to all users

However, while a welcome addition to the app, the feature is only available for individual chats, and the weekly family get-together has yet to migrate to WhatsApp desktop

It is also not available on the browser-based WhatsApp Web, and is limited to text chats or recorded voice and video messages

Still, WhatsApp says it plans to extend this feature to group video and voice calls in the future And that is essential to compete with the best video chat apps like Zoom, Skype, and Apple FaceTime

On the plus side, desktop mode works well

To try it out, simply download the Mac or Windows version of the desktop app

When you click on an individual chat, the familiar video and phone symbols appear in the upper right corner of the window Click on any of them and you will be immediately connected to your contact

This feature can be used in portrait or landscape orientation, so you can connect with the person you are using on your mobile even if you are using the desktop app, as in a test call It is also displayed in a separate window that can be resized and is always set to appear at the top

The large screen display definitely enhances the WhatsApp video calling experience

All in all, this is a nice feature However, we hope it will soon be rolled out to group chats as well