WhatsApp adds voice and video calling feature to desktop version

FILE PHOTO: A 3D printed Whatsapp logo and keyboard buttons are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File photo

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc's WhatsApp has introduced a voice and video calling feature on its desktop version, the company said on Thursday.

The company said users will be able to use desktop screens for calls in both portrait and landscape mode, and the calls will be end-to-end encrypted. (https://bit.ly/3uW3Y0r)

The move to facilitate calls over large screens would put WhatsApp on par with video-conferencing bigwigs Zoom and Google Meet, but it is not clear if it has ambitions to compete with the two in the enterprise space.

WhatsApp, which recorded 1.4 billion voice and video calls on last New Year's Eve, has benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic as people around the world used video-calling apps to stay connected while sheltering themselves at home.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur)