Ever since Facebook bought WhatsApp back in 2014, the company has managed to keep the the mega-popular chat app quite separate from its other services. But every now and then, we’re reminded that WhatsApp is, in fact, owned by Facebook. Case in point: an upcoming feature test spotted by WABetaInfo would redirect you towards Messenger Rooms in order to make video calls with large groups.
Though WhatsApp recently added support for up to eight people in a video call, that number pales in comparison to the 50 people allowed by the newly minted Messenger Rooms. WABetaInfo spotted a link to Messenger Rooms in the latest version of the WhatsApp Web Client, after having found a similar feature in the beta version of the Android app — strong evidence Facebook is currently working on said integration.
The shortcut currently appears in both the paper clip menu within chaps, as well as the main menu of the web client. After clicking on it, users receive a prompt letting them know they will be redirected to Messenger Rooms, but warning them that Messenger calls are not end-to-end encrypted as WhatsApp calls are.
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The feature doesn’t actually work yet, as it’s still in development. It’s a small touch, but could be a welcome option for those looking to have video calls within massive WhatsApp groups. You don’t need a Facebook account to use Messenger Rooms either, so as long as you’re okay with the lack of encryption, it should be a pretty seamless process.
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