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Today more than 1 billion people are actively using WhatsApp to stay in touch with family, friends or anybody they care about. The product is easy to use , simple and is accessible to everyone, irrespective of the age, gender or place. Under the guidance of Jan Koum and Brian Acton, it started with messaging and Group chat. Later they added voice calling to the WhatsApp feature list. With a vision to provide laser focussed messaging and communication service that function fast and reliably across the globe, Whatsapp has officially launched a video calling feature.

With voice calling, you could only talk to your close ones but with free video calls, you can easily have a face-to-face communication across the World. WhatsApp voice and video calls utilize the mobile device’s internet connection or the WiFi instead of using the device’s voice minute plan. With new feature in place, you don’t have to worry about the expensive call charges.

But, beware of the WhatsApp Video calling Invite!

Shortly after the launch of Whatsapp video calling feature, spammers wasted no time to develop a spam website and started circulating the unsolicited invitation link for the same. The spam message reads,

"You're invited to try WhatsApp Video Calling feature. Only people with the invitation can enable this feature".

Once the user clicks on the link he is directed to a website which looks quite similar to the whatsapp website and will deceive the most observant of the men. Then, when you click on the ‘enable’ tab, you will be redirected to the user verification page. You would be straightaway asked to share the link and invite 4 other friends to enable Video calling feature on Whatsapp through the same link.  

Though the steps and entire page design look genuine, mere clicking on the link can lead to exposure to spammers, making you extremely vulnerable to hacking.

What is the correct way to get WhatsApp video calling feature?

Video calling will be available on devices that are running on iOS and Android 4.1 and above. The video calling update is rolled out via simple update. If your Android or iOS device is not set to receive the automatic update or you are not sure whether the WhatsApp is updated, simply go to the Google Play or the App store and upgrade your app.

To start the WhatsApp Video call:

• Visit and Open the WhatsApp application
• Go to contacts tab
• Find and Tap the contact you want to initiate a video call with
• Click on the call icon on top right.
• You will be offered an option for Audio call and Video call
• Simply choose video calling to start one with friends

For iOS users, there’s a video icon next to the call icon. Just tap on the video symbol and the call will begin.

Alternatively, you can signup for the betas to get early access to video call WhatsApp.

To sign up for WhatsApp beta program to enable WhatsApp video calling on Android, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open Google Play and search for WhatsApp

Step 2: Open WhatsApp's Google Play listing

Step 3: Scroll down towards the bottom of the page

Step 4: In the section that says Become a beta tester tap on I'M IN

Step 5: Confirm on the next screen and wait for a few minutes

Step 6: Come back to WhatsApp listing page on Google Play

Step 7: You should see an option to Update WhatsApp to beta version

Step 8: Update the app

If your Whatsapp Video calling is not working or you don’t see a video calling option, or your WhatsApp video chat is showing an error, here’s another solution to your problem.  

You can download the WhatsApp APK (v2.16.354) that comes with video calling support from the website like APK Pure or APK mirror. However, I would recommend you follow the above-mentioned steps to officially get on the WhatsApp beta version for video calling and skip the risks associated with downloading the WhatsApp APK.

Note: For WhatsApp video calling, both parties should be running a WhatsApp build that supports the feature. Make sure that you have a strong internet connection when receiving or placing the video calls. A weak or improperly configured internet connection may result in poor audio and video quality. WhatsApp may ask for feedback at the end of the call.   

Hope this article was helpful. In case of any doubts and queries regarding WhatsApp video calling feature, feel free to discuss in the comments section below.