WhatsApp -- the instant messaging app that Facebook acquired for $19 billion last year -- hit 700 million monthly active users in January. At the Facebook f8 conference this week, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton said that the iOS version of the messaging app will gain the highly anticipated free voice calling feature within the next few weeks, according to VentureBeat.
WhatsApp spent the last year refining the voice calling feature before it launched on Android last month. WhatsApp’s voice calling feature on Android is limited on an invite-only basis as of right now, but it will likely open up to everyone soon.
Voice calling is different from the voice messages feature that is already available on WhatsApp. Currently, you can send voice messages to your contacts by pressing and holding the microphone icon above the keyboard. The new voice calling feature will let you make phone calls to your contacts, meaning WhatsApp will become more competitive against Skype. WhatsApp revealed it will be adding voice calling to its app over a year ago at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. WhatsApp’s co-founder Jan Koum also said at the Mobile World Congress event that mobile phones will be sold in Germany with the WhatsApp brand.
A couple months ago, WhatsApp launched a desktop client service called WhatsApp Web. The desktop version of WhatsApp only works for Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and
If you have a jailbroken iPhone, then you can already access the voice calling feature on WhatsApp. To use the voice calling feature on WhatsApp with a jailbroken iPhone, you can follow these instructions that TheFuseJoplin.com provided:
1.) You will need to install AppSyn and download the latest WhatsApp BETA version. Then you have to add the cydia.angelxwind.net and apt.imokhles.com repository on the Cydia sources.
2.) Download the latest version of the WhatsApp beta application and WhatsApp Call Enabler. You have to make sure that WhatsApp Call Enabler is activated in the settings.
3.) After voice calls are activated, you will need to have someone call you through WhatsApp and restart your iPhone.
Why did Facebook acquire WhatsApp? During a keynote at Mobile World Congress last year, Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said that the acquisition was linked to his vision for Internet.org. Internet.org is an initiative to bring the Internet people who do not have access since two-thirds of the world is not connected.
The amount that Facebook paid for WhatsApp was particularly interesting because the messaging app is far from profitable. WhatsApp lost $230 million in the first half of last year on revenues of approximately $15 million, reported The Wall Street Journal. While Facebook generates most of its revenues from advertising, WhatsApp charges 99 cents per year for a subscription after one year of free service. However, Koum acknowledged that WhatsApp scaled back efforts to generate revenue following the acquisition.
Are you looking forward to free voice calling on WhatsApp for iOS? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!
