Previous year WhatsApp announced their plan to add a voice calling feature to its instant messaging app i.e. WhatsApp. The feature was rolling out to users on an invite basis. But the company is finally easing up on that as now it is allowing anyone to get the call feature provided they have an Android phone with the v2.11.561 installed on it, and a friend with the feature willing for you to call them. BetaNews is able to report and confirm that the aforementioned trick is working worldwide.
In Marketplace, there is a bunch of apps which already have the internet voice calling features such as Viber, Hangouts (it charges for international calls), Skype, and even Facebook’s Messenger, WhatsApp isn't the first one to get this. But what makes WhatsApp different over competing apps is the voluminous amount of users it has attracted since its launch in 2009.
While the internet voice calling feature doesn't appear as enticing -- or at least new -- in developed nations, it is evidently a major hit in the developing world such as India, where it has entrenched itself as a front runner in the competition. Furthermore, internet voice calling also allows people in the emerging market to significantly reduce their mobile tariff.
To use this feature, users are required to download the v2.11.561 app on their Android smartphone or tablet (users can install it on a tablet by sideloading the installation file), and ask their friends -- who already have the feature -- to call them up. As soon as the call is over, users will observe visual changes in the user interface of the app as well as an improved call button. At the time of writing, the feature wasn't active on WhatsApp’s Windows Phone and iPhone apps.
Source : BetaNews | Image via Manish Singh
