WhatsApp launches video calling, 20 days after Indian rival Hike

Photo credit: jayneandd.

Indian messenger app Hike stole a march over its global rival WhatsApp by launching video calling last month. But it has turned out to be a fleeting glory. WhatsApp, which is India’s most-used app, today launched the video calling feature.

Surprisingly, WhatsApp dithered over it with a prolonged period of testing beta versions on users. But today the feature was launched at an event in India, which is its biggest market now.

We’re proud to have the opportunity to launch this feature in India, where we now have 160 million users.

“Video calling is one of the most requested features from people in India. We’re proud to have the opportunity to launch this feature in India, where we now have 160 million users, and we look forward to seeing people use WhatsApp to talk to their friends and loved ones face to face,” said Jan Koum, CEO and co-founder of WhatsApp, in a statement released at the event.

Video calling will be rolled out to over a billion WhatsApp users in 180 countries in the course of the next few hours.

A part of everyday life and work in India

All strata of society in India have taken to WhatsApp, abandoning SMS. Many in India use the English script to communicate in various Indian languages, so language is no barrier.

Photo credit: Pixabay.

The smartphone boom and free messaging have gone hand in hand. Video calling will be free as well, except for cellular data charges when used outside wifi zones.

WhatsApp says it has optimized the feature to handle the low-bandwidth internet connectivity and cheap phones used in most parts of India. “We’re obsessed with making sure that voice and video work well even on low-end phones,” Jan Koum said.

The ongoing rollout of affordable 4G services, spurred by the launch of Reliance Jio which has undercut data rates, will push video consumption in India. Most Indians use Skype or Facetime for video calls. Many might now switch to WhatsApp.

Users will need to update their WhatsApp to the latest version to see the video calling feature, which can be accessed through an icon in the app.

See: The latest numbers on web, mobile, and social media in India

This post WhatsApp launches video calling, 20 days after Indian rival Hike appeared first on Tech in Asia.

from Tech in Asia https://www.techinasia.com/whatsapp-launches-video-calling
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