Today WhatsApp announced the debut of Call Links, a brand-new feature that’s pretty self-explanatory. You can create a link to a call, and people you share the link with will then be able to jump onto that call by just clicking or tapping said link.
This works for anyone on WhatsApp, even if they’re not in your contacts – the main caveat here is that they do have to have WhatsApp themselves, otherwise they won’t be able to join your call. That’s all there is to it really, but the fact that it’s simple doesn’t mean it’s not very useful.
Of course, a call link is nothing new in the grand scheme of things, with other services having had such functionality for a very long time. But WhatsApp is a behemoth when it comes to user base, so now a lot of people can suddenly partake in calls without any hassle in joining.
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Call Links are currently in the process of rolling out, and the rollout might take a few days – or even the entire week. He also revealed that WhatsApp’s developer team is currently testing secure encrypted video calling for up to 32 people, with more about this promised to be revealed soon.
