WhatsApp will allow video calls of more than 4 people

WhatsApp is launching new news in the last days. The popular messaging application has now announced that it will allow making group video calls of more than 4, a functionality that now more than ever, with half the world confined, makes sense.
In this way, what the application does is increase the number of participants in this type of calls that until now allowed to have. And it is that until now, WhatsApp only allows to make video calls with up to four different devices but with the new update it seems that this could change.

What devices can perform the WhatsApp update

Among the devices that can perform the update are all those that have an Android version 4.1 or later and are connected to the network.
It is a new functionality that will be quite simple to implement. In the case of Android devices, simply press the call icon in the upper right and, from there, select the contacts with whom we want to make the video call.
Another option to make the group call is managed from the call tabs, which is integrated in the app. To do this, go to the 'calls' icon and from there go to the 'new group call' option. Finally, you only have to select the contacts you want to participate and click on the video call option.

Other specs

During group video calls, no participant can be dropped from the call and that person will have to leave on their own. It should also be borne in mind that people who are blocked may participate in these video calls if other contacts participating in the conversation do not have them.
You can also turn off your camera during the conversation if you wish to do so, you only have to access the 'Stop video' option, something that will be so for devices with Android and iOS operating systems.
This movement of the messaging application comes after it had been left behind in this regard, since in times of confinement the need to do this type of remote meetings has grown exponentially.

Encrypted conversations

In addition, in this new update that WhatsApp provides, and with which it would allow video calls of more than four people, it will also transfer its end-to-end encryption, which it already has in chats, to video calls.
In this way, WhatsApp plans to face unexpected competitors that have emerged in recent weeks such as Zoom and Houseparty.
With this measure, what is achieved is that nobody can access the content derived from these video calls and security problems do not arise as they have occurred in other similar applications in recent weeks.

How to get the new version of WhatsApp on Android

At the moment, these functionalities of WhastApp are only available in their beta version to obtain it you have to follow the following steps.
First of all you must go to the official website of beta testers of the application and give the option "become a tester". In this way you can access the beta tests that the mobile messaging service does and update your app with the beta version to enjoy the news that WhatsApp has announced.

How to get the new beta version of WhatsApp on iOS

In the event that your operating system is iOS, you can also sign up for its beta version. For this you can do it through TestFlight, an app that you will have to download to, from there, access the beta phase of WhatsApp for iOS.
You will get a message that you will have to accept and then go to the screen where you have to give the option to 'start the tests' and finally to the option to install. So you will have the app in its beta version on your mobile device.

At the moment, there is no more data on when this new WhatsApp functionality will stop being in beta and will become part of the new versions of the application, but given the current circumstances, everything points to this happening very soon if they want to take advantage of it. the large volume of demands in this regard.