WhatsApp: Video call option, how to use it.
WhatsApp: Video call option, how to use it
This messenger is a great way to save money on calls: wherever you have Internet access, you can call people on your contact list for free. You can also make video calls on WhatsApp, so you can not only hear but also see your interlocutor. Below we will tell you how to use it and what are the nuances.
How to make and receive a call
Video calls on WhatsApp are very simple:
How to call. In “Chats”, locate and open a correspondence with the contact you plan to contact. He then taps on the “Video Conference” icon (camera icon) and waits for a response.
How to answer a call. When you receive a call, your mobile phone will display “Incoming Video Call” on the screen. To accept it, slide the green earphone icon and to reject it, slide the red earphone icon.
If there is an incoming video call on WhatsApp that you don’t want to silently reject, you can send the caller a short message. For example, you can send a short message explaining why you can’t reply right now. To do this, pull out the “Message” icon and a text input window will open and an on-screen keyboard will appear.
group video calls
You can make video calls in groups of more than two people on WhatsApp. The maximum number of participants in a chat of this type is 4 people. There are several ways to create a video call on WhatsApp.
From the Calls tab. Go to the “Calls” tab → New call → New group call → Check the contacts* you plan to contact → Call (Camera).
Video call to WhatsApp from an individual chat. Open a chat (correspondence) with any contact – a future participant of the group video call → Call (Camera) → wait for an answer → Add participant*.
From a one-on-one video call. Right during the video call, click “Add Participant” and select the desired person(s) from the list.
How to make a video call on WhatsApp from a group chat (general conversation). Open the group chat → Group call → check the desired contacts* → Call (Camera).
*Maximum 3 people, since you yourself will be the fourth participant.
Note: Any of the video chat participants can turn off their mobile phone camera at any time. After this, the participants will no longer be able to see their images on the screens, but will still hear their voices.
Switch from an audio call to a video call
WhatsApp functionality allows you to switch from an audio call to a video call and vice versa during a call. How to do it:
From audio to video. If you start a conversation in voice mode and then decide that it would be a good idea to look at each other, press the “Video call” button. The person you are talking to will be invited to switch to video mode. You can then accept or decline the request (in which case the conversation will continue in voice mode).
How to change WhatsApp video calls to audio. If you want to interrupt a video broadcast from your mobile phone without stopping the conversation, click on “Disconnect camera”. If the person you’re talking to doesn’t do the same, you’ll still be able to see them and they’ll only be able to hear you. If the other party also taps “Disconnect Camera”, the conversation will switch to “Audio Call” mode on WhatsApp.
Possible problems when making a video call
Video calling via WhatsApp as an option has been very well developed by the developers and it is not to be expected that there will be occasional “glitches” or even occur. However, users sometimes encounter the following issues caused by external factors:
Video messages on WhatsApp “freeze”, the image freezes, the audio is missing or distorted. This is most likely due to the quality/speed of your or your chat partner’s internet connection. In the case of a group video chat, if only one of the participants has problems with the Internet, they will all experience these “symptoms” at the same time.
You cannot receive, make or switch to a video call from an audio call because there is no corresponding button. The existence of a video call on WhatsApp depends on the version of the operating system of your mobile phone: it must not be older than Android 4.1 or iOS 8. If you cannot update your operating system, you will not be able to fix the problem: versions older than Android 4.1 / iOS 8 do not support the video call option.
Did you know that while making a video call on Whatsapp, you can switch between the main and front cameras? It is done as if we were taking a photo of something in front of us or taking selfies: there is a button in the lower left corner of the screen. Test it!
