WhatsApp now allows screen sharing with audio, 32-person video calls

WhatsApp has rolled out significant updates to its calling features, including the ability to share screens with audio, expanding video call capacity to 32 participants, and introducing a speaker spotlight feature, as per WhatsApp's blog post. WhatsApp now supports video calls with up to 32 participants across all devices. The speaker spotlight feature highlights the active speaker, ensuring they appear prominently on the screen.

With the new screen sharing with audio option, users can now watch videos together while sharing both screen and audio. Previously, WhatsApp had only offered video screen sharing without audio.

The company emphasised its commitment to enhancing audio and video quality, introducing the MLow codec for improved call reliability. Calls on mobile devices now benefit from enhanced noise and echo cancellation, making it easier to communicate in noisy environments. Additionally, video calls can achieve higher resolution for users with faster internet connections. Calling was first introduced on WhatsApp in 2015.

“Audio is crisper overall, even if you have poor network connectivity or are using an older device,” the blog post states.

Yesterday, WABetaInfo unveiled WhatsApp's upcoming feature allowing users to select a language for voice message transcripts, set to arrive in a forthcoming update. This feature aims to streamline accessibility and convenience by enabling users to convert voice notes into text directly within the app.

WhatsApp is currently in the development phase of integrating a new language selection section for voice transcripts, slated for inclusion in an upcoming update. Within this section, users will have the option to choose from several languages, initially including English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Hindi, with potential additions of more languages in the future. Once a language is selected, users will download a corresponding package to enable the transcription process seamlessly.

Recently, WABetaInfo reported that WhatsApp had planned to introduce a new feature called the audio call bar, which was being tested by select Android beta users. These testers were exploring a feature designed to manage outgoing audio calls within the app.

The functionality of the new audio call bar was such that when users minimised the call, they were greeted with a redesigned call bar at the top of the interface, offering improved control over outgoing calls. Previously, users had to tap the green status bar to return to the call, but with the new call bar, they could easily mute or end the call directly without needing to navigate back to the call screen. The updated interface also included a new minimise button to reduce confusion in call navigation.

In another update, it was reported that WhatsApp had also introduced a zoom control feature for the camera, available to select iOS beta testers. A new button was added, enabling users to adjust zoom levels seamlessly during recording, which enhanced their capacity to create accurate photo and video content.