WhatsApp has been revolutionizing the way of communication with its innovative calling features since its inception. From group calls to video calls and multi-platform support, the platform has consistently pushed the boundaries of what we expect from a messaging app.
The app is taking another leap forward with updates that will make calls across your devices even bigger and better.
One of the most exciting new features is the ability to share your screen with audio. This means you can now watch videos together with friends and family while also sharing your audio commentary.
Whether you’re watching a new movie or exploring a new video game, this feature will enhance your shared viewing experience like never before.
WhatsApp is also increasing the number of participants on a video call from 8 to 32. This means you can now connect with even more people across all your devices, making it easier to stay in touch with friends and family, no matter where they are in the world.
To make video calls even more seamless, WhatsApp is introducing a speaker spotlight feature. This feature automatically highlights the speaker and places them at the top of the screen, making it easy to identify who is talking and follow the conversation.
Read About: WhatsApp is introducing Screen Sharing for Video Calls
Improved Audio and Video Quality
WhatsApp is also focused on improving the overall quality of its calls. The platform recently launched the MLow codec, which enhances call reliability and provides clearer calls regardless of your location.
Calls made on mobile devices now benefit from improved noise and echo cancellation, making it easier to have conversations in noisy environments. Video calls also have higher resolution for those with faster connections, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable experience.
The quality of audio and video codecs plays a critical role in delivering a seamless calling experience. WhatsApp uses the MLow codec, which is designed to strike a balance between quality, bitrate, and complexity by exploiting deep knowledge about the nature of the audio signal and using psychoacoustics.
This results in a more efficient and effective compression of audio and video data, ensuring that calls remain clear and reliable even in challenging network conditions.
Read Also: WhatsApp Channels can now send voice updates, polls
The evolution of audio and video codecs
The development of good audio and video codecs is a challenging task, and new codecs do not emerge often. WhatsApp has used the widely known and respected Opus codec for all its RTC needs, which has served the platform well in delivering quality calls to billions of users across the globe.
However, the platform recognizes that there is always room for improvement and is committed to continuing to make advancements in this area.
