With this guy to, I intend to explain everything you need to know about WhatsApp conference calls. In just a few minutes, you can learn how to make group calls with all of your friends with just a few simple clicks.
Hello, it is your friend Frankie here again. I, as always, I’m here to share more my knowledge of messaging apps with you.
Today, I would like to show you that you can make 3-way calls on WhatsApp.
The procedure itself is very simple, though there are a few things that I need you to know about this process. Ensure that you read the entire article, so that you can get all of these helpful tips.
I’m going to take just a few minutes of your time, but I promise you that by reading through this entire piece, you too can become a black belt in WhatsApp group calls.
So, are you ready to begin?
Using WhatsApp Group Video Calling on Android
Have good news for you.
If you are using an Android device comma and want to make video conference calls through WhatsApp with all of your friends, this process is a piece of cake.
You only need to follow a few steps.
You can begin by starting WhatsApp on your device and then make a video call to one of your contacts. From this point, just add in more participants using the onscreen buttons.
Let’s discuss how you can do this in a little more detail.
Make a Group Video Call
To make a group video call on the app, launch WhatsApp on your Android smart phone or tablet first.
Already logged into WhatsApp? Then you are well on your way.
- Select the “Calls” tab at the top right and then tap on a white handset icon on a green background. This has a (+) symbol next to it at the bottom right.
- On the page that appears now, find the user that you wish to speak to (or search for this contact by pressing on the magnifying glass and then beginning to write the name in the search bar)
- Hit the camera button that appears next to the name to make your video call
- As soon as your contact except the call you are making, a button showing a little man with the (+) symbol next can appear in the top right corner (if for some reason it disappears, just tap on the screen to make it reappear again)
- Tap on the (+) symbol to add a new participant to this video call. On the following screen, find another contact you wish to add, tap their name, and then confirm the operation by tapping on Add.
If you want to add another user to this conversation, all you need to do is complete the steps described in Step 5 again.
Frankie’s Take:
If you would like to make an audio conference call on WhatsApp instead of video, the procedure is the same. You just need to push the phone instead of the camera in the listed steps above.
Participant Limitations for Android WhatsApp Conference Calls
At the time of me writing this, the group video calls of WhatsApp can support up to four users, which includes the caller.
it is also important to remind you the other users you add to the conversation can also add their own participants as long as this maximum of four has not yet been reached.
Accept a Group Video Call Invitation
Now you’ve learned the steps of making a video call for a group, so now you need to understand the steps involved in answering a group conversation when you get invited.
Actually, there really isn’t that much to explain.
To accept a group video call on WhatsApp, all you need to do is push a blue button on the white camera. Make a swipe from the bottom to the top (following the arrows).
Video calls with a group are easy to identify in the initial call preview screen.
This screen will display the words: “WhatsApp Group Video Call” and also the names of the contacts who have already agreed to participate in this specific conversation.
Starting Group Calls in WhatsApp for iPhone
You should note that the procedure for a video conference call with WhatsApp on iPhone is not very different from what I have shown you in the chapter dedicated to an Android device.
Once again, you begin this process by starting WhatsApp. You make a video call with one of your contacts, and then you can add other participants one by one using onscreen buttons.
Everything is explained in greater detail below.
Make a Group Video Call
To make a group video call, you begin by launching WhatsApp on your iPhone.
Are you already logged into WhatsApp? Great, that saves us some time.
- Tap on the Call button (which is the grey phone icon in the bottom left) and then tab on the blue phone icon with the (+) symbol at the top right-hand side.
- On the screen that appears, find one of the users that you wish to make a video call with (or you can search for their name in the available search bar in the upper part of the screen)
- Then you should tap on the camera button next to their name on the list to begin your call
- As soon as a contact answers, you can then tab on the button representing the little man with the plus symbol at the top right of the screen (if this icon disappears, you need only tap on the screen to make it reappear again)
- Almost green that pops up here, find any other user that you wish to add to the call. Tap on their name, add them to the conversation, and confirm this operation by choosing the word Add again.
If you would like to add another user to the conversation, you should return to steps four and five and repeat the process.
Frankie’s Take:
If you would like to make an audio conference call through WhatsApp instead of a video, the steps are basically the same. You should only press the button with the phone icon instead of the camera icon.
Conference Call Limits for WhatsApp on iPhone
At the time of me writing this, group video calls through WhatsApp could support up to four users at once. This includes the original caller.
I would also like to remind the readers that a user added to the conversation can add their own participants to the group call until the maximum four participants is reached.
Accept a Group Video Call
It is not at all challenging to accept a group call on WhatsApp with your iPhone.
You need only ‘pick up the phone’ by pressing Accept (white camera icon on a green background). This appears on the screen when a user calls you.
Want to know who else is connected before you answer the call? All you have to do is take a look at the video call preview screen.
When you take a look at this screen, you can see wordage like “Incoming Group Video Call” and this is followed by a list of names participating.
Make Video Calls with WhatsApp from a PC
Unfortunately, both PC and Mac versions of WhatsApp, and even the browser-accessible versions, do not support group video chatting.
However, there is one way that you can get around this problem.
You can use an Android emulator, which is software that recreates the functionality of a Google smartphone within an operating system.
Within these windows, you can visit the Play Store install WhatsApp on your computer. Then it becomes possible to make video calls using this simulated smartphone.
There are only three steps of follow to make a call on WhatsApp from a PC:
- First, you should download and install BlueStacks – which is the simplest and fastest Android emulator. You can download at this address:
- Once you complete the installation, you can provide this software with the Gmail address to connect to the Play Store. Then find and install WhatsApp.
- Last, you must provide this version on your computer with the phone number associated with your original account.
Frankie’s Take:
As I might have already explained, using BlueStacks to call from WhatsApp on your PC means that the WhatsApp account on your phone will stop working until you disconnect the BlueStacks version.
How Many People Can Join WhatsApp Group Video Calls?
How many people can get in a group video call? Unfortunately, not that many.
Group video calls with WhatsApp currently supports a total of 4 people, and this includes the one calling.
Frankie, is there any way to work around this limit?
No, unfortunately. At the present time, it is simply not possible to make WhatsApp group calls more than 4 people.
However, you should know that users you invite can invite others to the conversation on their own – provided that the group chat has not yet reached the 4 user maximum.
You must ensure that you have a stable internet connection before you begin any video calls, as the quality of the imagery depends on the available data and the signal of your network.
If you do not see a button for adding new participants to the conversation, you need to ensure that the latest version of the application is installed through the mobile store. You must manually choose to update on occasion when it is necessary.
What If WhatsApp Calls Cut Off?
If you lose connection several times, or WhatsApp disconnects frequently, or even drops the calls on the regular, do not panic.
There is a solution to this problem that I can share with you now.
You have to cut data consumption. You need to find a balance between the quality of the call and the resources required to keep you connected through WhatsApp’s side of things.
To prevent the service from continually disconnecting, here is what you do:
- Tap the ‘Three Dots’ icon in the top right corner
- Find Settings
- Then choose Data Usage
- Then Call Settings
- And choose to turn on Low Data Usage
Yet another way that you can save data connections is to prevent WhatsApp from automatically downloading media like photos, videos, and documents.
Is a Contact Seen as ‘Online’ During WhatsApp Calls?
One of the many questions that people ask me is if they appear online during conference or one-on-one video calls.
I have personally tested it – and I have good news.
When you are engaged in a video call, your status is not ‘online’ but only ‘last seen’ if you have not turned it off.
Remember, if you send a message during a call – that WILL change your status back to online.
As long as you are on the video call screen, you will appear as though you are offline. If you use WhatsApp, or send/read messages during that call, the status changes back to showing you are on.
Frankie’s Take:
I would remind you that if you want to be invisible on WhatsApp, you can use what I call the Slimer Method. This lets you become a virtual ghost on WhatsApp.
Conclusion
It is time to bid you farewell once again, but I hope that now you have no more doubts or questions about making video conference calls on WhatsApp.
As you can see the procedure is quite simple – and this goes for both Android and iPhone devices.
Unfortunately, WhatsApp web and WhatsApp for PC and Mac do not allow you to make audio or video calls. But as I have shown you, you can work around this by installing an Android emulator.
If you are abroad, or just wish to make international calls, I suggest that you take a look at our guide about international calls with WhatsApp.
If you still have any concerns or questions , please do not hesitate to leave me a message below so that I can get back with you.
Love,
Frankie Caruso
P.S. – We have created a guide where we’ve compiled the best possible ways to make group video calls online other than WhatsApp. You should also check this out.
