WhatsApp update lets you join group calls from group chats

Back in July WhatsApp announced joinable calls. It meant that you could jump into a group call even if you weren’t able to at its start.

Now, the Facebook-owned messaging app has made a second update to the feature, integrating it into group chats. Until now, Calls and Chats have been two separate tabs within the app. And while the option to voice- or video call someone (or a group) was right there in every chat, you couldn’t join a group call if you missed the start, at least from a group chat.

Now you can, as there’s a big JOIN button prominent at the top of group chats where a call is in progress. You can tap it join, then leave if you need to and re-join later.

Here’s a few details on how it works:

• The notification will say the name of the group instead of participant names 
• Only people who are part of the group can join the call 
• The call will show in the chat list, not just in the chat itself, so it’s more obvious which groups have ongoing calls

Really, it’s yet another quality-of-life update, but you can never have too many of them and it’s no secret that group calls are becoming more popular. There are lots of of other updates in the works, including the (overdue) ability to react to messages with emojis and play voice messages while you continue to type chats to other people. 

The app is also getting more secure thanks to end-to-end encrypted backups. This feature is rolling out now, and you need to opt in if you want to use it.