WhatsApp allows screen-sharing in video calls, taking on Zoom, Teams, and Meet

Meta-owned messaging service WhatsApp is rolling out screen sharing in video calls, similar to the feature available in Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.

The new feature will roll out in a phased manner and will be available on iOS, Android, and the Windows desktop client in due course, chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg said.

“Whether sharing documents for work, browsing photos with family, planning a vacation or shopping online with friends, or just helping grandparents with tech support – screen sharing lets you share a live view of your screen during the call. You can initiate screen sharing by clicking on the ‘Share’ Icon and choosing between sharing a specific application or sharing the entire screen,” the company said.

In addition to the screen-sharing feature, the messaging app has enabled the landscape mode in video calls.

The new feature enables a broader view during calls, making room for more participants to join chats.

Meta has unveiled a wave of new features in WhatsApp so far this year, including video notes and polls amid intense rivalry with messaging apps Signal and Telegram.

Meta chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg announced in July a new WhatsApp feature that allows people to instantly record and send video messages up to 60 seconds long. WhatsApp users could earlier send only recorded audio messages.

Users can send video messages in the same way as they would send a voice message. They will need to switch to the video mode, press and drag the video button upwards to record for 60 seconds, and press the send or delete button. In the chat window, videos play on mute. Users can tap the video to play the message.

Meanwhile, the beta notes uploaded by WABetaInfo, a website that keeps track of all the features WhatsApp keeps testing, show WhatsApp’s latest beta has a new voice chat feature that lets groups of up to 32 people join a talk session.

WhatsApp beta version 2.23.16.19 is rolling out to testers on Android, adding features similar to Discord and Telegram chats, Slack’s Huddles, and Meta’s Messenger.