WhatsApp enhances video calling with screen sharing, speaker spotlight, expanded participant limit

WhatsApp announced significant video call updates on Thursday, introducing screen sharing with audio support and a new speaker spotlight feature. It also increased the participant limit for video calls to up to 32 people.

Last August, WhatsApp initially rolled out screen-sharing support for video calls. The instant messaging app has now enhanced this feature by adding audio support, allowing users to watch videos with their contacts during a call.

A major update includes expanding the participant limit for video calls. Users can now have up to 32 participants on a single video call across devices. Previously, the limit was 32 for mobile devices, 16 for Windows, and 8 for macOS users.

The WhatsApp video call updates position the platform alongside Apple’s FaceTime, which also supports up to 32 participants. However, it still trails behind Google Meet and Zoom, which allow up to 100 participants even on their basic tiers.

WhatsApp has also introduced a speaker spotlight feature, which automatically highlights the current speaker during a video call, making them appear prominently on the screen.

Additionally, WhatsApp’s parent company Meta has introduced the Meta Low Bitrate (MLow) codec on WhatsApp to improve call reliability, even under poor network conditions or on older devices. This proprietary codec offers double the audio quality of the previously used open-source codec Opus while reducing computational complexity by 10%.

MLow is already available on Instagram and Messenger calls and is now being implemented on WhatsApp to enhance the overall calling experience across Meta’s platforms.

According to a blog post by WhatsApp, these latest calling-related updates will be rolled out to all eligible users over the coming weeks.