We had heard the rumors for a while that WhatsApp could be eyeing VoIP as one of its future features. Given that WhatsApp competitors such as Skype, LINE, and Viber already offer such functionality, we guess the company is hoping to catch up and offer a similar feature to its existing user base.
Unfortunately it looks like that feature will not be arriving anytime so soon. Speaking at the Re/code code/mobile conference, WhatsApp’s CEO Jan Koum stated that the voice calling feature will most likely launch in early 2015. This is apparently due to technical hurdles that the developers are trying to overcome in a bid to bring their idea to fruition.
Now some might be wondering if this feature might clash or overlap with Facebook Messenger’s own voice calling feature. According to Koum, it will not as WhatsApp is strictly a mobile-only service and will not be competing with Messenger. However like we said, given that other apps such as LINE and Viber already offer similar functionality, WhatsApp will most likely end up being compared to them.
At the same time given WhatsApp’s user base which is more than half a billion at this time of writing, safe to say that the feature would not doubt give their competitors a run for their money, assuming of course that it functions just as well, if not better.