WhatsApp video calls will be more complete with a new tool announced on Tuesday (8). The messenger now allows you to share the screen during a call, as it already happens in other apps of the type, such as Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
The feature has been in beta since May 2023 and will now be released for the stable version of the apps for Android, iOS and Windows. With it, you can share images from the entire screen or from a specific app.
To do this, simply tap the Share icon during the call and choose the option to display your screen to the other callers.
In addition to screen sharing, WhatsApp has also gained a horizontal layout for video calls on the smartphone.
It makes sense: if you need to see what a person is showing on the computer screen, you’re going to need more space, and putting your phone in landscape mode helps a lot.
WhatsApp wants to compete with Meet, Teams and Zoom
In the press release, Meta says the feature can be used to share documents with co-workers, plan trips with friends, show photos to family, shop with someone else, or help grandparents with some tasks.
The new screen-sharing feature brings WhatsApp closer to more professionally used competitors like Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and even Discord.
These apps have seen a considerable increase in popularity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which explains the interest of the Meta messenger in such tools.
This movement has been intensifying in recent years. In March 2023, WhatsApp increased the participant limit to eight for video calls and 32 for audio calls.
The app is also testing voice channels, similar to those of Discord, and usernames, as Telegram already does.