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How to make call from desktop whatsapp


How to make a voice or video call on WhatsApp desktop

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Britta O'Boyle, Deputy editor

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Explainer Provides context or background, definition and detail on a specific topic.

WhatsApp

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(Pocket-lint) - WhatsApp has long offered voice and video calls through its iPhone and Android apps, but the feature is also available on its desktop app. 

Making a voice or video call using WhatsApp's desktop app works in both portrait and landscape orientation, and appears in a resizeable standalone window on your computer so you have the freedom to move it around. It is also set to always be on top. 

Currently, the feature is only available for one-to-one calls, but WhatsApp has said it has plans to include group voice and video calls in the future. All voice and video calls on WhatsApp are end-to-end encrypted.

Here's how to make a voice or video call using WhatsApp desktop and what you need.

What you need to make a voice or video call on WhatsApp desktop

To make or receive a voice or video call using WhatsApp desktop, you will need the following:

  • The latest version of the WhatsApp desktop app (available for Windows PC and Mac)
  • An audio and microphone output device
  • A camera for video calls
  • An active internet connection on your phone and computer. Your phone needs to be online to establish the call, but the call won't go through your phone.
  • Grant permission to WhatsApp desktop to access your computer's microphone and camera.

It's worth noting that WhatsApp Desktop calling is only supported on MacOS 10.13 and newer, and Windows 10 64-bit version 1903 and newer.

How to make a voice call using WhatsApp desktop

Follow these super easy steps to make a voice call using WhatsApp desktop. 

  1. Open the WhatsApp desktop app on your computer
  2. Scan the QR code using your phone (open WhatsApp on your phone > Tap Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device)
  3. Open the individual chat with the person you want to make a call to
  4. Click on the voice call icon
  5. Tap on End Call when you're done

You can mute or unmute your microphone by clicking the microphone icon during the call. It's also possible to switch from a voice call to a video call during the call - more on that below.

How to make a video call using WhatsApp desktop

To make a video call using WhatsApp desktop, follow the simple steps below:

  1. Open the WhatsApp desktop app on your computer
  2. Scan the QR code using your phone (open WhatsApp on your phone > Tap Settings > Linked Devices > Link a Device)
  3. Open the individual chat with the person you want to make a video call to
  4. Tap on the Video call icon
  5. Tap End Call when you're finished

As with voice calling, you can mute or unmute your microphone by clicking the microphone icon during the call. You can also turn your camera off by tapping on the camera icon during the call.

How to switch between a voice call and video call using WhatsApp desktop

During a voice call with a contact, you can ask to switch to a video call, like you can with Apple's FaceTime for example. 

To switch between a voice call and a video call using WhatsApp desktop, follow the steps below:

  1. Follow the steps above to start a voice call with a contact
  2. During the call, hover over the Camera icon
  3. Click on the camera icon
  4. The contact you are talking to will then get the option to select OK or Switch to change the call to video, or Cancel to decline
  5. If they select OK or Switch, the voice call will switch over to video

How to answer a voice or video call on WhatsApp desktop

Answering a voice or video call on WhatsApp desktop is very simple.  

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Three options will appear when someone voice calls you or video calls you and you have WhatsApp Desktop on and connected to your WhatsApp account.

Accept will accept the call. Decline will decline the call and Ignore or "x" will ignore the call.

Writing by Britta O'Boyle.

Sections WhatsApp Apps

How to Make a WhatsApp Video Call in Windows 10

For a long time, WhatsApp only offered texting and voice/video calls through its Android and iPhone apps. Fortunately, this feature is now available for desktop computers, too. The desktop app looks exactly like the one on your phone, so it’s easy to adapt to it. If you want to learn how to make a WhatsApp Video Call on Windows 10, make sure to read this article.

How to Make a WhatsApp Video Call in Windows 10

Setting Up WhatsApp

Before getting into making a video call through your desktop app, let’s talk about setting up WhatsApp.

  1. Install WhatsApp on your phone. If you’re an Android user, go to the Play Store and download it. iPhone users would go to the App Store.
  2. Set up WhatsApp on your phone.
  3. Download the WhatsApp desktop app for Windows at this website: https://www.whatsapp.com/download.
  4. Once you download and install it, a pop-up menu with a QR code will show up on your desktop.
  5. Open WhatsApp on your phone.
  6. Tap the three dots icon at the top-right corner.
  7. Tap “Linked devices.”
  8. Tap “Link a device.”
  9. If you have an unlock pattern, enter it now.
  10. Scan the QR code from the desktop app.

That’s it! Your WhatsApp phone app will have synced with your desktop app, and you’ll see all your chats on your computer. You can now use your desktop app to send messages or make phone & video calls.

Tip: The WhatsApp desktop app is not the same as WhatsApp Web. The latter is a platform that you access through your browser. Like with the desktop app, you also need to scan a QR code to access WhatsApp Web, but the difference is that you won’t be able to make phone or video calls through a browser. You’ll have to install the app for that.

Requirements & Equipment

Certain requirements and equipment are needed to set up WhatsApp on your device and make a video call.

  1. Computer/laptop equipped with a camera, whether built-in or as an accessory.
  2. Mobile phone.
  3. Audio output and a microphone.
  4. Active internet connection on both your phone and your computer. Although the video call won’t go directly through your phone, the desktop app requires it to be connected to the internet.
  5. WhatsApp installed on both your phone and your computer.

WhatsApp Video Calls on Windows 10

Making a Video Call

Now that you’ve set up WhatsApp and checked your equipment, we can discuss the steps of making a video call. It’s important to know that it’s not possible at this time to make group calls on your desktop app. However, you can call any individual by following these steps:

  1. Open the WhatsApp desktop app.
  2. Select the contact you wish to call.
  3. Tap the camera icon at the top-right corner.
  4. Once you’re done, tap the red icon to end the call.

Answering a Video Call

When someone’s trying to call you on WhatsApp, you’ll have three options:

  1. Tap “Accept” to accept the video call.
  2. Tap “Decline” to turn down the call.
  3. Tap “X” at the top-right corner to ignore.

Using BlueStacks

While it was designed as an addition to your phone’s app, there is a way to use the WhatsApp desktop app even without your phone. This is possible through an emulator app such as BlueStacks. These apps essentially create an Android environment on your Windows so you can use your computer like an Android phone.

To use WhatsApp with BlueStacks, follow these steps:

  1. Download BlueStacks on your computer by visiting this website: https://www.bluestacks.com/.
  2. Once downloaded and installed, log in or register a new account.
  3. Open PlayStore.
  4. Tap the search icon at the top-right corner.
  5. Type “WhatsApp.”
  6. Tap “Install.”
  7. Once the app is installed, open it, and verify your phone number.

Done! Now you can use WhatsApp on your computer without your phone.

Using WhatsApp on Windows 10

Due to the similarities between the phone and the desktop app, you will have no trouble figuring out how to use WhatsApp. Let’s review some of the options on your desktop app.

Making Phone Calls

If you don’t want to make a video call, you can also make a phone call directly on your desktop app. Here is how you can do this:

  1. Open the WhatsApp desktop app.
  2. Select the contact.
  3. Tap the call icon.
  4. Once you’re done, tap the red icon to end the call.

In-Call Settings

Switching From a Phone to a Video Call and Back

If you’re in the middle of a phone call on WhatsApp and want to show the other person something, you can easily switch to a video call by pressing the camera icon at the top-right corner of your app.

To switch from a video to a phone call, press the call icon at the top-right corner.

Mic Settings

You can decide to enable/disable your mic during a phone or video call. Simply press the mic icon on your screen to turn it on/off.

General Settings

Since the desktop app is connected to your phone, you have access to all the settings. This means you can change your profile picture, name, and status. You can also customize notifications, themes, keyboard shortcuts, etc.

FAQs

What is the difference between a regular call and a WhatApp call?

There are several differences between the two:

1. You need internet access to make a WhatsApp call. Unlike regular calls, WhatsApp calls are routed through the internet. This means both you and the recipient must be online.

2. You need a smartphone to use WhatsApp. If you want to make a regular call, you can use any mobile or a landline phone. However, if you want to use WhatsApp and make calls through it, both you and the recipient must do it on a smartphone. You won’t be able to install the app otherwise.

3. WhatsApp calls are free, subject to data charges.

4. If you have a poor internet connection, you might have trouble establishing a connection on WhatsApp. Regular cellphone calls do not depend on your internet connection.

5. WhatsApp international calls – it doesn’t matter if you’re calling the person next to you or someone on the other side of the world. With regular calls, you may have to worry about international calling rates.

6. Higher security with WhatsApp calls. WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption covers messages, phone, and video calls. The app scrambles the data extracted from your phone, which others will need a code to unscramble. As such, no one else can eavesdrop on your conversations or look at your messages.

7. You can’t call a landline phone with WhatsApp. If you’re trying to call someone via WhatsApp, you should know that you’re only able to call people who have the app. That means you can’t call landlines or any other cell phones that don’t have WhatsApp installed.

8. You can make a video call with WhatsApp. Unlike regular calls, you can choose between a phone and a video call in WhatsApp. You may prefer the latter when calling certain people.

As you can see, regular calls and WhatsApp calls are different in many ways. Even though you can live without either of those, it’s recommended to have access to both.

Find Out What’s Up Using WhatsApp

Over the past decades, the internet has enabled us to communicate with people all around the world without having to worry about the phone bill. A variety of apps have made it easy to contact people thousands of miles away with just a few clicks. WhatsApp is one of those apps that allow you to make voice or video calls or text anyone, anywhere.

We hope this guide has been helpful and you’ve learned how to make a WhatsApp video call on Windows.

Have you ever used WhatsApp to make a call? Tell us in the comment section below.

The WhatsApp icon on the phone disappeared: how to get it back, recovery methods

WhatsApp is one of the most convenient and popular instant messengers, because it allows you to communicate using text messages and voice calls absolutely free. After installing the application, the shortcut automatically appears on the desktop. Clicking on it opens a list of contacts that you can call or write messages. However, many users are faced with a problem when the WhatsApp icon has disappeared and the application cannot be launched on the phone. The following recommendations will help you return the shortcut and enjoy your communication further. nine0003

Contents

  • 1 Finding the icon in the apps menu
  • 2 Reinstalling WhatsApp
  • 3 How to add a chat icon to the smartphone screen
  • 4 Conclusion

Finding the icon in the apps menu 90 smartphone running Android OS, you need to go to the installed applications section and follow the steps in the following order:

  1. Hold down the WhatsApp shortcut until it can be freely moved around the display. nine0008
  2. Then you need to drag the icon onto the desktop surface and place it anywhere on the screen.

After that, the disappeared WhatsApp icon will return to the desktop and launching the messenger will become much easier. This algorithm is designed for users of mobile phones operating on the Android OS, but it is also suitable for iPhone owners. If the above option did not help restore the WhatsApp icon, you should try the next method. nine0003

Reinstalling WhatsApp

System errors, crashes and inaccurate actions of the users themselves can lead to the disappearance of the WhatsApp application shortcut from the phone screen. It cannot be ruled out that a person accidentally deleted the messenger when he was clearing the device’s memory in order to install a game or application that occupies a large amount of internal memory. To reinstall WhatsApp, you need to go to the Play Market store. It is installed by default on most Android smartphones, with the exception of mobile phones from the Chinese corporation Huawei. Their owners will have to use the AppGallery proprietary software using the following instructions:

  1. Enter the name of the application in the AppGallery search bar.
  2. Then go to the page with information about the messenger and click on the "Install" button.
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.
  4. It remains to find the WhatsApp shortcut on the screen and launch the messenger in the standard way.

Often there is no need to reinstall the application. If the icon has disappeared from the desktop, you can try to return it by simply restarting your smartphone. To do this, you need to hold down the on / off button of the device or use the corresponding key in the mobile phone menu. Often the problem is caused by clogged memory, which slows down the work of both individual applications and the operating system as a whole. Before clearing the cache, you need to make sure that this action will not lead to a return to the factory settings. nine0003

How to add a chat icon to the smartphone screen

Many users of Android smartphones and Iphones, in order to make the process of communication in the messenger as comfortable as possible, put chat icons on the desktop surface. After clicking on such a shortcut, the desired dialog automatically opens. If the chat icon disappears, you can add it again by following the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Start the messenger.
  2. Find the desired chat and hold it until additional tools appear at the top of the display. nine0008
  3. Click on the settings icon with three dots and select the "Add a chat icon to the screen" option.
  4. You will then need to confirm the action and make sure that the selected dialog reappears on the desktop surface.

It is most convenient to create a separate section (folder) and place the most important dialogs in it, which will greatly simplify chat navigation. A quick transition to the desired dialog will be carried out by clicking on the corresponding icon. In this case, you do not need to launch the messenger every time and enter the chat through the general menu. nine0003

Conclusion

If the WhatsApp icon on your phone has disappeared, don't worry. First you need to look for the lost shortcut in the installed applications section, and if found, drag it to the desktop. If this option did not help to return the icon, it is recommended to clear the cache and then reinstall WhatsApp by downloading the installation file from the Play Market, AppStore or AppGallery (only for smartphones from the Chinese manufacturer Huawei). You can simplify chat navigation by adding icons of the necessary dialogs to the screen. To do this, you need to launch WhatsApp and use the option "Adding a chat icon to the screen." nine0003

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