WhatsApp to add voice calling to iOS in the next few weeks

WhatsApp to add voice calling to iOS in the next few weeks

Voice-calling has been available as a limited, invite-only service on Android for a month.

It looks like WhatsApp’s much anticipated voice-calling feature finally will be coming to iOS devices. According to Venture Beat, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton announced Thursday at Facebook’s annual F8 developers’ conference that the feature will arrive on iOS within a “couple weeks.”

WhatsApp first launched voice calling on Android last month on a limited, invitation-only basis. Acton said that the company had spent the past year refining and iterating voice-calling before bringing it to Android. He spoke on a panel with Instagram cofounder Mike Krieger and head of Facebook Messenger David Marcus.

While voice-calling has not been available to date officially on WhatsApp iOS, there have been ways to get around that restriction. Venture Beat reports that screenshots of unofficial iOS  implementation have circulated. Unfortunately for most iOS users, this tactic requires a jailbroken iPhone. Thursday’s announcement marks the first official word on when an iOS version would be available.

PC Mag Asia notes that WhatsApp users can already send voice messages to contacts, by pressing and holding the microphone icon above the keyboard. The voice-calling feature, though, reportedly functions like an actual telephone call.

When pressed by Venture Beat to confirm his “couple of weeks” time frame, Acton initially responded in the affirmative, but then appeared to backtrack slightly.

“Well, several weeks” said Acton.

Either way, it appears iOS users may be making voice calls on WhatsApp within a month. Facebook, who acquired WhatsApp for $16 billion last month has yet to comment on the matter.

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