Aside from “normal” texting and iMessage, my go-to messaging app is WhatsApp. Since it has basically all the features that other messaging apps have, my main reason is that it was the first one I tried, and that most of my contacts use it.
The only gripe I have about WhatsApp is that you can’t make voice calls, unlike with Viber.
As can be expected, WhatsApp has been rumored to be working on the voice calling feature. Earlier this year, the rumor mill said that we’d have WhatsApp voice calls by the second half of 2014. We’re nearing the end of the year, and it still has to materialize.
Now we have information straight from the horse’s mouth, Jan Koum, the CEO of WhatsApp. Based on a report by Tech2, Jan Koum said during a Code/Mobile Event that we shouldn’t expect WhatsApp voice calls till early 2015.
The reason? Technical problems, apparently. To quote:
One of the reasons why voice calling has not yet been activated is because the company is finding ways to implement voice calling services in areas where Internet connectivity is poor and 3G
services and Wi-Fi access is restricted and thus where people are still on 2G services.
I suppose that that’s a good enough reason not to add the feature, as it is being done with the user in mind. And, as the CEO said so himself, he doesn’t care much about making money with WhatsApp.
Impressive if that’s true.
How do you feel about not having WhatsApp voice calls? Or couldn’t you care less because you don’t use it anyway?
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