WhatsApp Desktop for Mac or PC cannot only chat but also voice and video call
Posted by jpluimers on 2022/07/28
Easiest way to video call from your PC via WhatsApp is to use [Wayback/Archive] WhatsApp: Download – Mac or Windows PC.
This should be an alternative for Hangouts Video Calling as Hangouts is yet another product killed by Google as mentioned in many places for instance:
- [Wayback/Archive] Casey Newton on Twitter: “Hangouts is now Chat. Chat is NOT Gchat. GChat is Talk. Talk is dead. Hope this helps” / Twitter
- [Wayback/Archive] Laurie Voss on Twitter: “Google Hangouts is shutting down in November. Its successor is Google Chat, which is not the same as GChat, which was also known as Google Talk. None of those are the same as Spaces, which is the new name for Rooms. I am not making any of this up.” (also pointing to the above The Verge article)
Without an advanced warning on my mobile phone, Google just shutdown Hangouts with just one option: use Google Chat (which does not support Hangouts video calling, thereby voiding the video-calling opportunity with my mentally retarded brother).
I have had a long Google Hangouts history ([Wayback/Archive] @jpluimers hangouts – Twitter Search / Twitter) but I won’t turn back doing chat or audio/video calling via Google for the same reason that Lauri states above.
Back to WhatsApp Desktop.
There is some online WhatsApp Desktop documentation, but WhatsApp FAQ does not like archival in the Wayback machine or Archive.is, see these links:
- [Wayback/Archive] About desktop calling | WhatsApp Help Center
You can make free voice and video calls to your contacts on WhatsApp Desktop if you have the app installed on your computer.Desktop calling is supported on:
- Windows 10 64-bit version 1903 and newer
- macOS 10.13 and newer
To make or receive calls on WhatsApp Desktop, you’ll need:
- An audio output device and microphone for voice and video calls.
- A camera for video calls.
- To grant WhatsApp permission to access your computer’s microphone and camera. WhatsApp needs access to your computer’s microphone for calls and camera for video calls.
Note: Group calls aren’t supported on WhatsApp Desktop at this time. - [Wayback/Archive] WhatsApp Calling unavailable in some countries | WhatsApp Help Center
Unfortunately, WhatsApp Calling is not available in some countries due to local regulations.If you are in one of these countries, you will not be able to place or receive calls. If you are in a country where WhatsApp Calling is available, you will not be able to call people in countries where it is unavailable.
Via: [Wayback/Archive] whatsapp desktop – Recherche Google
I got pointed to WhatsApp Desktop calling by [Wayback/Archive] Joel Haasnoot (@webguy) / Twitter when asking for a Google Hangouts replacement on Twitter:
- [Wayback/Archive] Jeroen Wiert Pluimers on Twitter: “@seldo My mentally retarded brother uses Hangouts for video calls as the “click persons face, click camera icon” is simple enough for his brain (which is like a ~3 year old). What are simple affordable alternatives for this? (that hopefully last like a decade or longer)”
- [Wayback/Archive] Jeroen Wiert Pluimers on Twitter: “@CaseyNewton What is an easy tool to video call without clicking on links? I need it for my mentally retarded brother. His brain is like a 3 year old. He understands Hangouts video calling on his PC, but not Google Meet. He can click on pictures and icons, so Hangouts is ideal:”
- [Wayback/Archive] Jeroen Wiert Pluimers on Twitter: “@CaseyNewton 1. Click on the photo of who you want to call 2. Click on the camera icon 3. Click on the lower camera icon 4. Done Seeking alternatives for this.”
- [Wayback/Archive] Joel Haasnoot on Twitter: “@jpluimers @CaseyNewton Whatsapp?”
- [Wayback/Archive] Joel Haasnoot on Twitter: “@jpluimers @CaseyNewton Yes, met Desktop “
- [Wayback/Archive] Joel Haasnoot on Twitter: “@jpluimers @CaseyNewton
whatsapp.com/downloaden dan onder Mac/PC” - [Wayback/Archive] Joel Haasnoot on Twitter: “@jpluimers @CaseyNewton Heeft ook geen online telefoon meer nodig tegenwoordig”
–jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 
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