WhatsApp Voice Calling Now Available for Windows Phone

WhatsApp updated its Windows Phone app on Tuesday adding the voice calling feature that was rolled out to all Android, BlackBerry, and iOS users' months ago. With the addition of voice calling, the WhatsApp Windows Phone app now allows voice calls over mobile data or Wi-Fi - also called VoIP or voice over Internet protocol.

The WhatsApp Windows Phone app update (version 2.12.60.0) also brings new features such as sending audio files (which is currently available on Windows Phone 8.1) apart from the VoIP-based voice calling feature. The updated WhatsApp app for Windows Phone is now available to download.

(Also see: WhatsApp Voice Calling - Everything You Need to Know)

The Windows Phone store listing notes that WhatsApp Calling is available on Windows Phone 8 and above. It also adds that users cannot access 911 and other emergency service numbers through WhatsApp Calling. The voice calling feature is now available for all major platforms, namely Android, iOS, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone. Android was the first platform to receive the WhatsApp voice-calling feature in March followed by iOS and BlackBerry in April.

Windows Phone was due to receive the WhatsApp voice calling feature with the company back in April revealing the upcoming addition via a support team email to a user. The team had suggested that the feature was "still in the works" for the platform, and that it could not provide an exact time-frame for the release.

WhatsApp has already become the most widely used instant messaging app and back in April crossed 800 million monthly active users, according to WhatsApp's CEO and co-founder Jan Koum.

(Also see: Opinion: Five Hurdles That Stop VoIP Calling From Going Mainstream)

In other news, WhatsApp for Android is set to receive a new feature that will allow users to do an app-wide search, which will include all the chats. According to Android Police, the new feature was introduced in version 2.12.134, which had been made available via the company's own site. It's worth noting that the current WhatsApp app for Android available from Google Play is version 2.12.124. The new feature will let users search for specific terms in entire chat conversation which until now only showed the name of the WhatsApp contacts.