WhatsApp has announced the launch of a significant new feature that enables users to share their screens during video calls. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, made the announcement via posts on his Facebook and Instagram accounts. This new capability positions WhatsApp to more effectively compete with established video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Skype. While this feature had been available to select Android beta testers for several weeks, it is now set to be gradually rolled out to all users globally.
An image shared by Zuckerberg illustrates the interface for WhatsApp’s screen sharing feature, resembling that of competitors like Google Meet and Zoom. In this layout, the screen being shared occupies most of the display, with video call participants visible in small rectangular tiles on the right-hand side. Users can initiate screen sharing by tapping an arrow icon designated for the ‘share’ function.
In addition to this, WhatsApp has introduced a Landscape mode for video calls, complementing the existing Portrait mode. This enhancement improves the experience of screen sharing, particularly by making text and graphics clearer on smartphones, the primary devices used for the application.
Meta has begun the phased rollout of these features for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Users who do not have immediate access should expect the feature to be available to them shortly.
Recently, WhatsApp has also added the ability to send short video messages through its platform. Users can easily access this feature by tapping the microphone icon used for voice messages. With a single tap, the icon switches to a video camera, allowing users to send video messages of up to 60 seconds, which appear in a circular format within chats.
