La funzione era attesa da moltissimo tempo, ma non è arrivata esattamente come tutti se la aspettavano: ecco come fare videochiamate con WhatsApp da PC.
Dopo anni di attesa da parte degli utenti WhatsApp ha finalmente reso disponibili per tutti le videochiamate da desktop, sia con sistema operativo Windows che macOS. E’ già possibile fare chiamate, anche in Italia, da desktop a desktop o da desktop a mobile (e viceversa).
Ma, attenzione: non stiamo parlando di “WhatsApp Web" bensì di “WhatsApp Desktop“, cioè dell’app a sé stante per Windows e Mac e non della finestra che possiamo aprire in qualunque browser per collegarci al sito web.whatsapp.com. Non è una differenza da poco, e vi spiegheremo perché visto che ha a che fare anche con la nuova privacy policy di WhatsApp. Before we touch on the thorny subject, though, let's see how to make and receive video calls on WhatsApp Desktop and, before that, how to install WhatsApp Desktop on Windows or Mac.
How to install WhatsApp Desktop
The first thing to do, on both Windwos and Macs, is download the WhatsApp Desktop app to your computer. We can find it on Microsoft's store (at this address) or Apple's Mac Store (at this address). In both cases, the app is free and installs in seconds.
Once the WhatsApp Desktop app is installed, all we have to do is connect it to our WhatsApp profile, which is already active on our smartphone. The procedure for connecting WhatsApp Desktop is the same as for connecting WhatsApp Web: just scan the QR code.
If we have already opened WhatsApp Web on a browser and we also open the WhatsApp Desktop app, we will be asked if we want to use WhatsApp on the browser or on the app. Perhaps, when multi-device WhatsApp arrives, it will be possible to use them at the same time.
Video calls WhatsApp Desktop, how to make them
Once installed and connected to our profile we can use the app to chat and make video calls. The interface is identical to that of WhatsApp Web, which in turn is almost identical to that of the WhatsApp app for Android and iOS smartphones.
The only difference is that on WhatsApp Desktop there is now a new camera icon for making video calls: you can find it upon entering a conversation, in the upper right-hand corner before the phone handset icon, the magnifying glass for searching and the menu with the three dots.
The first time we launch a video call via WhatsApp Desktop we will be asked to grant WhatsApp permission to access the microphone and camera. During the video call the video window always remains in the foreground, so you won't miss it in case of a very crowded desktop.
When we launch a video call via WhatsApp Desktop we have to be careful of one detail: it is not a video conferencing software dedicated to work, so there is no waiting room and when we click on the camera icon we are already calling.
To date you can only make 1-to-1 video calls and you cannot make group video calls via WhatsApp Desktop.
Why it doesn't work on WhatsApp Web
All that we just described applies only to the WhatsApp Desktop app: the new icon for video calls on WhatsApp Web is not there. And it probably won't be there for much longer due to a data management issue.
WhatsApp Web, in fact, is basically a WhatsApp website that runs on our browser. This means that the browser could read our chats, accessing our data. WhatsApp Desktop, on the other hand, is a standalone app and does everything on its own.
With the new privacy policy coming into effect on May 15, the amount of user data sent to the Facebook group could increase quite a bit (actually much more in the US than in Europe, where the GDPR regulation applies).