Stung by the kind of massive advantage apps like Zoom and Google Duo are enjoying, WhatsApp wants to have a share of the pie too. The Facebook-owned app is reportedly trying to expand the number of participants in a video call from within its app beyond the 4 allowed so far, as per a report in NDTV Gadgets. The new beta versions of the messaging app, WhatsApp v2.20.128 beta and WhatsApp v2.20.129 beta for Android are supposedly carrying the update to bring in this change. There is however no clarity on the new upper limit of contacts that can join the conversation at a time.
These may yet be work in progress and the update may not be available on the Android devices now. Some strings in the WhatsApp v2.20.128 beta version have been noticed with the mention of expansion in the number of participants. WhatsApp calls it Group Call limit. Once rolled out, it may require that all participants have to have the latest update on their devices. There is also no information on when WhatsApp will make this new feature available to the users. Many corporate entities have created WhatsApp groups among their employees and if this update is made available, more people may start using the facility to make video calls.
Though Zoom is very popular, there have been security issues flagged with the app, though the company says it has fixed them. The second update beta version, WhatsApp v2.20.129 beta for Android is likely to take care of the security angle and ensure the calls are encrypted end to end.