PDF in chat and calls in browser: WhatsApp revealed great new features

For years, calling on WhatsApp meant only one thing: a phone, or a standalone desktop application. Anyone sitting at a work laptop where nothing could be installed was out of luck. Meta has finally filled this gap and added a suite of features that together look like an attempt to compete with Zoom and Google Meet.

Calls directly in the browser

The main new feature is calling directly from WhatsApp Web. It works for both voice and video calls, individual and group, and you don’t download anything for it – just a browser and a scanned QR code, as before. Calls are end-to-end encrypted, without time limits, and free, which are three parameters Meta uses to hit precisely the pain points of paid conferencing tools.

In the web version, you’ll also find what you’re used to from elsewhere: screen sharing, in-call reactions, and a separate Calls tab with complete history and favorite contacts. The feature has been tested for months and is now live.

Switch calls without hanging up

The most useful small feature is called Call Transfer. You start a call on your mobile on your way home from work, open your laptop at home, and transfer the call – without hanging up and without reconnecting. It works both ways.

A waiting room has been added to group calls. When creating a call link, you can enable an approval option – incoming people then wait until the administrator lets them in. In addition, Meta has added QuickHD, which makes video appear in HD immediately in the first few seconds instead of gradually sharpening, and background noise suppression.

And another batch a week earlier

Calling isn’t the only thing WhatsApp released in July. As early as July 22, the company announced four more new features, and one of them is unexpectedly practical for Czech users: PDFs can be opened directly in chat, without downloading, and you can highlight text or write notes directly within them. But beware – this only works in the web and desktop versions, not on mobile.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto have also been redesigned. Previously, you could only type a message or make a call in the car; now you can have incoming messages read aloud and reply by voice, view call history, and access favorite contacts. The remaining two new features are more for entertainment than work: sharing a song from Spotify or Apple Music directly to Status and the ability to set up an account on an iPad without a phone.

Don’t expect it immediately

Meta explicitly states for both sets of features that they are being rolled out gradually, and does not specify a completion date or the order of countries. In practice, this means that a colleague in the office might see the Calls tab appear before you, even if you both have the same app version. If you don’t see anything after an update, all you can do is wait for Meta to flip the switch on their end.

Do you call via WhatsApp from your computer, or do you prefer another tool for that?

Sources: WhatsApp Blog, 9to5Google, TechCrunch, MacRumors