WhatsApp, the most popular instant messaging
service used worldwide, has started rolling out
the voice calling feature to its users. The
company is rolling out the new feature in phases, and it appears some will have to wait longer than
others. Here are the answers to all your questions about
WhatsApp's voice calling feature. What is WhatsApp voice calling? Until recently, WhatsApp only let users send text messages to their contacts alongside allowing
sharing of files (including images, music or even
videos). With the addition of voice calling, the
app now allows voice calls over mobile data or
Wi-Fi - also called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol. WhatsApp's CEO, Jan Koum, had in February last
year announced plans to rollout the voice calling feature by the end of the year In October he
revealed that the rollout would be delayed till Q1 2015. Koum cited several obstacles including technical issues before the service could work
seamlessly. Interestingly, Koum had also
revealed that the WhatsApp development team
was working on ways to implement the voice
calling service in poor data coverage areas,
considering that many WhatsApp users in emerging markets are still on 2G networks. What does it cost? The service is free, and not charged by
WhatsApp. Much like other apps like Skype and
Viber offering VoIP, WhatsApp voice calling uses
a data connection to place a call, whether over
Wi-Fi or mobile data. This data use however can
be chargeable, based on your Internet plan. For users of unlimited broadband Internet plans,
the only worry is if the voice calling feature will
work properly on lower speeds once the FUP
limit is exhausted. Similarly, users of 2G and 3G
data plans who exhaust their allocated data will
have to after that point pay per KB used, which can go up to as high as Rs. 0.10 per 10KB on 2G
and Rs. 0.04 per 10KB on 3G. Soon after news about WhatsApp's voice calling
feature was reported last year, Indian telecom
player Airtel announced it would soon roll out a special plan to charge separately for data used
on VoIP calls, although the company backtracked on this soon after, saying it was waiting for Trai's consultation paper on OTT
players. It will be interesting to see how this
plays out once WhatsApp voice calling really
takes off. Is it available to everyone? Unfortunately, WhatsApp is rolling out the voice
calling feature in phases, which means it is
currently available to limited users. The company
recently started pushing out the voice calling feature to all Android users with the invite
window open for several hours. As of filing this
report, the window has closed again, though it
may open again without notice. The wait for non-Android users might be longer
as WhatsApp's voice-calling feature is currently
rolling out to users of Google's mobile operating
system. Recently, leaked screenshots claimed to be from a jailbroken iPhone running the WhatsApp
v2.11.17.444 beta app showed off the UI of the
WhatsApp voice calling feature. The leaked
screenshots indicate that the feature might be
rolling out iOS users soon, though there's no
timeline yet for this rollout on Apple's OS or other non-Android platforms. How do I get voice calling? To get WhatsApp's voice calling feature on
Android, one has to download the latest version
(2.12.7) of WhatsApp for Android from the
company's official website. As of filing this report, Google Play still offers WhatsApp for Android version 2.12.5, which doesn't supports the
voice-calling feature. After the latest WhatsApp Android version is
installed, you have to ask someone with
WhatsApp voice calling already activated to make
a WhatsApp call to your number (yes that's the
only way). Remember a missed call doesn't activate
WhatsApp calling. One has to receive the call and
wait for a few seconds before disconnecting to
activate WhatsApp voice calling. Once WhatsApp
voice calling is enabled, users will notice a
completely revamped UI showing a new three- tab layout with Calls, Chats and Contacts. Check
our How to Activate WhatsApp Voice Calling post for more details. How does it compare to other services? WhatsApp voice calling is similar in function as
other VoIP apps, such as Skype, Viber, and Hangouts. However, considering that WhatsApp
is the most widely used instant messaging
service on mobile, having the voice calling
feature in the app only expands the user
experience. Some of the other apps offering voice calling
include BBM, which rolled the BBM Voice to Android and iPhone users back in February last year; Line, which launched a data-based calling service in March, and Hike, which rolled out voice calling (dubbed Hike Calls) in January this year for Android users. A word of caution A lot of people are waiting impatiently for
WhatsApp's voice calling feature and it seems
some people are exploiting this interest. Security
company Quick Heal in a blog has reported about a hoax message spreading around various
WhatsApp communities. The message reads, "Hey, I am inviting you to try
WhatsApp calling click here to activate now->
http://WhatsappCalling.com". Do not click on this
link - as we noted earlier the only way to activate
WhatsApp calling is to be running the latest
version of the Android app and to receive a voice call from someone who already has the service. Quick Heal explains, "this message is a hoax and
an attempt to get users to download malicious
apps and fill a survey form." So stay away from
such messages and enjoy WhatsApp voice calling
safely - once you finally receive it.

Very bad formatting: makes reading boring.

Thanks op

DjAndroid:
Very bad formatting: makes reading boring.

Im really sorry , thanks for letting me know tho ...Ill try to improve the next one