WhatsApp launches one-to-one voice and video calls on desktop app

Messaging giant WhatsApp said on Thursday it is launching ‘private’ and ‘secure’ one-to-one voice and video calls on the platform’s desktop app. The company said answering on a bigger screen makes it easier to work with colleagues, see families more clearly or free up hands and move around while talking, and just like mobile phones, video and voice calls on the desktop will stay end to end encrypted.

“To make desktop calling more useful, we made sure it works seamlessly for both portrait and landscape orientation, appears in a resizable standalone window on your computer screen, and is set to be always on top so you never lose your video chats in a browser tab or stack of open windows,” the company said.

WhatsApp said throughout last year it saw a significant increase in people calling one another on the platform often for long conversations.