WhatsApp has upgraded its end-to-end encrypted video call feature, which now allows groups of up to eight participants to chat together, up from the previous limit of four.

Whatsapp GroupCalls Colored
WhatsApp has been gradually developing its group video call capabilities through beta builds, as rival video call services like Zoom, FaceTime and Skype have exploded in popularity amid the ongoing stay-at-home measures. At the same time, Facebook has released Messenger Rooms, enabling up to eight people to join in on a group call.

There are two ways to initiate an encrypted group voice or video call in WhatsApp with up to eight people (that's seven other people including yourself). Just make sure that you and anyone you want to call has updated to version 2.20.50 of WhatsApp, or it won't work.

The easiest way to initiate a call is to open an active group chat and tap the Video Call or Phone Call button in the top right corner of the screen. If the group has more than eight participants, you'll be asked which contacts you want to call, otherwise the call will initiate automatically.

Alternatively, you can initiate a WhatsApp group call including anyone in your contacts list. Simply follow the steps below.

  1. Launch WhatsApp and select the Calls tab at the bottom of the screen.
    WhatsApp

  2. Tap the Call icon in the top-right corner.
    WhatsApp

  3. Select New Group Call at the top of the contact list.
    WhatsApp

  4. Add up to seven participants by tapping on them in your contacts.
  5. When you've added the participants, tap the Video Call button (the camera icon) or the Audio Call option (the phone icon) to initiate the call.
    WhatsApp

If any of the participants you chose are using an older version of WhatsApp, you'll be notified and the call won't connect until they've all updated.

Top Rated Comments

Kabeyun Avatar
63 months ago
Well, nine including Mark Zuckerberg.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vandam500 Avatar
63 months ago

FaceTime has a 32 person limit for group chats, end to end encryption, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209022

Why you'd want to use WhatsApp instead of FaceTime is beyond me, unless your friends are Android/Windows only people.
WhatsApp has so many more users world wide that it's not even close. Plus it being cross platform where Facetime is only iOS/Mac is a pretty big deal.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
63 months ago

Why you'd want to use WhatsApp instead of FaceTime is beyond me, unless your friends are Android/Windows only people.
You wouldn't, but you already answered your own statement.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MrSimmo Avatar
63 months ago
Would be ok if they offered proper multi platform support, 8 people with video on a smartphone isnt great...
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CarpalMac Avatar
63 months ago
Thomas, post: 28412430, member: 1021539"]
Indeed... every other of the major messenger apps is better than Whatsapp... I don't know why people still use it...
I am waiting on Telegrams version to appear.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GeoStructural Avatar
63 months ago

FaceTime has a 32 person limit for group chats, end to end encryption, etc. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209022

Why you'd want to use WhatsApp instead of FaceTime is beyond me, unless your friends are Android/Windows only people.
WhatsApp has better features than FaceTime, it is multiplatform (iOS/Android/Windows/MacOS, others) and functions are more fluid, it does what iMessage and Facetime do combined and better. It is just catching up in the videocall department because it started as a messaging app. FaceTime just introduced this feature only a while ago, and it debuted with horrible bugs and lawsuits for privacy concerns, there are better contenders out there.


I explain that Apples services are likely more secure, that they have in effect paid a premium to have these services and they look at me blankly.
Lol, no. Apple products are as secure or insecure as any other products out there. Privacy in this era is a myth. For instance, Apple uses Amazon data centers and end-to-end encryption protocols that are very similar (the same?) to what other players in the industry use. And yet they still need to comply with authorities when they are mandated to. They also need to comply with Chinese monitoring practices in order to work there, something that not even evil Google has kneel-down to do.

Apple's software is also buggy, just like any other company out there (Mail, iOS 11, iOS13 come to mind). Anyone could spy on you through FaceTime without you even answering the call:

https://blog.malwarebytes.com/101/2019/01/apples-facetime-privacy-bug-allowed-possible-spying/

Apple also saves personal info of the contact you called like email and phone number for 30 days after you called them "in case you want to call them again)... Not even WhatsApp does that... so pick your poison:

https://www.macworld.co.uk/news/apple/is-apple-facetime-safe-3785750/
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...