In India, people are growing impatient about the WhatsApp voice-calling rollout. Many users are preparing themselves for the invite-only upgrade. Only a select group of users and developers have access to the feature, giving them first-hand experience of how the feature works on different networks, and the pros and cons.
Tech First Post reported their impressions on WhatsApp voice-calling and found some glitches while using it on 2G network, which is widely used in several parts of India. This can be a turn off for many, but those on high-speed Wi-Fi or 3G coverage can take full advantage of voice-calling on WhatsApp.
Previously, we have explained how users will be welcomed with a new three-tab layout once the voice-calling is activated on WhatsApp.
In this article, we focus on what to expect from WhatsApp voice calling when it is officially launched. Also note that these glitches were reported on 2G coverage.
Call Drops
If you are using a 2G network, you are probably aware of how sluggish the Internet speed can be at times. The same holds good for WhatsApp voice calling, which according to Tech First Post resulted in frequent call drops in an area with intermittent connection on both sides.
Call Lags
Even if the calls survived, there was an awkward blank space between conversations. These call lags can be traced to the early times whenever somebody used Internet calling for international calls. This can result in confusing conversations and frustrate users.
Echo
Tech First Post found WhatsApp voice calling to work perfectly in open areas like roads and parks, but experienced echoes while speaking inside a closed room or an apartment. According to the publication, the echo of the user played back after some delay on both ends of the line.
Beep Alerts
The caller heard beep sounds on various occasions while on a call, which were due to incoming WhatsApp messages. It's unclear if there is a way a user can turn sounds off but we'll know only when the official rollout begins.
Even though WhatsApp voice calling has triggered enormous excitement among users, there will be some early bugs. However, it has to be considered that WhatsApp is still beta-testing the feature and the company confirmed that the public rollout will begin only after "it is satisfied with its performance."
