WhatsApp expands calling with web calls, waiting rooms and call transfer

WhatsApp has introduced a fresh set of calling improvements—web calls, waiting rooms, and call transfer—designed to make voice and video conversations more flexible and better suited for group coordination. The update, reported by *The Hindu* (Sci-Tech), brings WhatsApp’s calling experience closer to what users may recognise from dedicated video meeting platforms.

With millions of Indians already using WhatsApp for daily communication—from families and community groups to small businesses and volunteer teams—these features are expected to support more organised online discussions, especially when people are joining from different devices and locations.

What’s new in WhatsApp calling The highlight is **web calls**, which allow users to run calls and meetings via WhatsApp on the web. This helps people who prefer working from a desktop or laptop, especially when they are already using a browser for work, study, or customer support tasks.

Alongside this, WhatsApp is rolling out **waiting rooms**—a capability commonly associated with meeting tools. In practice, waiting rooms can help hosts or organisers manage the flow of participants, ensuring that a call begins with the right people at the right time. For group conversations and structured discussions, this can reduce interruptions and make calls feel more orderly.

The third addition is **call transfer**, enabling a call to be shifted in a smoother way—useful when a conversation needs to move between devices or participants, or when someone needs to hand over a discussion without dropping the connection.

Taken together, these features signal a clear direction: WhatsApp is expanding beyond basic calling into a more complete, meeting-like experience.

How this could help Indian users and small teams For many users in India, WhatsApp is not just a messaging app—it is also a practical tool for coordination. Resident welfare associations, tuition groups, local entrepreneurs, and small professional teams often use WhatsApp as their default channel.

The **web calling** capability can be particularly helpful for:

• People who spend long hours on a computer for work or learning
• Customer-facing small businesses that manage enquiries on a desktop
• Teams that share documents, spreadsheets, or presentations while talking

Meanwhile, **waiting rooms** can support better call discipline for:

• Coaching or mentoring sessions
• Community meetings
• Small business discussions with clients

And **call transfer** can reduce friction when someone needs to switch contexts—such as moving from mobile to a laptop, or handing over a query to a colleague.

Importantly, these additions may also help users who want a familiar interface for calling but do not wish to juggle multiple apps for different use cases.

A step towards more versatile everyday communication The update places WhatsApp in closer competition with rival video call platforms by offering meeting-style controls within an app many people already use. Rather than positioning the change as a complete replacement for specialised enterprise tools, the move appears aimed at making everyday calls more reliable and structured.

As these features reach more users, WhatsApp’s role could expand further in education, customer support, and small-scale collaboration—areas where simplicity, broad adoption, and cross-device access matter.

**Why it matters:** By adding web calls, waiting rooms and call transfer, WhatsApp is making digital communication more organised and accessible—especially for Indian users who rely on the app for work, learning, and community coordination across devices.