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WhatsApp update boosts video calling to allow 8 people at once

Video chatting apps continue to grow and evolve as we use them more than ever.

Eli Blumenthal Senior Editor
Eli Blumenthal is a senior editor at CNET with a particular focus on covering the latest in the ever-changing worlds of telecom, streaming and sports. He previously worked as a technology reporter at USA Today.
Expertise 5G, mobile networks, wireless carriers, phones, tablets, streaming devices, streaming platforms, mobile and console gaming,
Eli Blumenthal
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A new update for WhatsApp ups the number of people on a call from four to eight. 

Facebook

Want to video or voice chat with more people over WhatsApp ? Now you can.

In a new update released Monday, the popular messaging app is bumping up the number of people who can be on a video or voice call at once to eight, double its previous limit of four, the company said in an update note on the iPhone App Store

As it was before, the calls are end-to-end encrypted with Facebook writing in a blog post that "no one else can view or listen to your private conversation, not even WhatsApp."

The Android version of the app does not yet appear to be updated in the Google Play store but, as MSPowerUser notes, an updated version with support for eight callers can be downloaded directly from WhatsApp's website

The new update is rolling out worldwide starting today, and WhatsApp says that it should arrive on the Play store this week. 

To have a call with more people, everyone on the call needs to be on the latest version of the app on either platform. 

The Facebook-owned messaging app is the latest to bump up its calling capabilities as people look to stay connected while stuck at home. Last week Facebook introduced a new Messenger Rooms feature that allows up to 50 people to video chat at once with no time limit for how long the chat lasts.

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