You can now have group voice and video calls on WhatsApp with up to three other people

WhatsApp has updated its messaging service to include support for group video calls. In doing so, you can now chat with up to three people simultaneously across both iOS and Android apps. The service arrives with encryption end-to-end to prevent eavesdropping.

To use the new group video call feature, you’ll first need to initiate a one-on-one voice or video call with a contact. Once you do, you can then tap the “Add Participant” button at the top right of the screen to add up to two more people.

WhatsApp added one-on-one video calls to the service nearly two years ago, and it’s nice to see group video calls finally arrive. Still, limiting the tool to only four users already makes it sound outdated, considering what some of the other competitors are working on. For example, this fall, Apple plans on allowing up to 32 users to its FaceTime voice and video service on iOS 12 and macOS Mojave.

While popular in the US, WhatsApp is truly a global service, with 2 billion minutes of voice and video calls and 65 billion messages being sent every day. Facebook has stated that over one billion people use the service each day.

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Facebook first announced in May that group video calling was coming to both WhatsApp and Instagram. It arrived on the latter in June.

In other tech news, see:

• Here’s how to listen to WhatsApp audio messages in private
• This hilarious clip from John Oliver reminds everyone why we should hate Facebook
• If you’re already tired of Instagram’s status dot feature, here’s how to turn it off
• Facebook is being Facebook by now trying to encroach on Musical.ly’s space

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Bryan M. Wolfe

Bryan considers himself a well-rounded techie, having written articles for MakeUseOf, KnowTechie, AppAdvice, iDownload Blog. When he's not writing, he's being a single dad and rooting for his alma mater, Penn State, or cheering on the Patriots.