As many parts of the world extend lockdowns, people are becoming increasingly dependent on video calls to communicate.
WhatsApp has just made things easier by allowing group video and voice calls available to 8 people as opposed to previously only four.
This comes after video calls on various social media platforms have added this functionality due to the Covid-19 pandemic which saw people spending more time at home.
The Facebook-owned app is the latest to update its group video and voice calling for one and seven other users. This has been rolled out to the general public on both iOS and Android.
To use the newly updated version, all other participants in a call need to have the latest updated version of WhatsApp which is now available on IPhone and Android.
Here are the steps to make a group video call from an individual chat:
Open the chat with one of the contacts you want to video call.
Tap Video call
Once the contact accepts the call, tap Add Participant.
Search for or select other contacts you want to add to the call. If prompted, tap ADD.
"Make sure you have a strong Internet connection when placing or receiving video calls. A poor or improperly configured connection might result in poor video and audio quality. If you're connected to Wi-Fi, your video call quality is dependent on your wireless network signal and network data speed," said WhatsApp in its FAQ section.
"When you receive a group video call, the incoming WHATSAPP VIDEO CALL screen will show the participants currently on the call, and the first contact listed will be the participant that added you."