WhatsApp finally updated its iOS app to include the much-touted voice calling feature, bringing it on par with the Android version of the app.
The voice calling feature rolled out to all WhatsApp users on Android less than a month ago, allowing people to easily make calls via WhatsApp for free when connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data.
The new WhatsApp for iOS application now reaches version 2.12.1 and brings a number of new features in addition to voice calling, such as sharing extension, a quick camera button in chats, the ability to edit your contacts straight from WhatsApp, as well as the ability to send multiple videos at once or crop and rotate videos before sending them.
According to the app description on iTunes, WhatsApp Calling will roll out slowly to all iOS users over the next few weeks.
WhatsApp has proved to be widely popular worldwide, as numerous users rely on the cross-platform service to exchange messages, photos and videos with friends and family. The new WhatsApp Calling feature raised plenty of interest among Android users when it rolled out, and is expected to receive a warm welcome from iOS users as well.
Not too long ago, WhatsApp CEO and co-founder Jan Koum revealed that the messaging service has managed to surpass 800 million monthly active users, which means that the app is still going strong and gaining more subscribers each day. In January, for instance, the company had crossed 700 million active users, which means that in less than four months it gained 100 more users. This is quite an impressive achievement, and voice calling is expected to further boost the number of users.
The aforementioned sharing extension, meanwhile, means that version 2.12.1 of WhatsApp for iOS will allow users to share images, videos, and links to their WhatsApp contacts from any other application.
With the Android and iOS versions now updated to include Voice Calling and other features, Microsoft's Windows Phone platform should be the next in line to receive an update for WhatsApp. Recent rumors indicated that the WhatsApp voice calling feature was in the works for the Windows Phone OS as well, but nothing is officially confirmed at this point.
