What type of one-to-one calls did WhatsApp introduce in November 2016?

WhatsApp introduced one-to-one video calls in November 2016. The feature let two WhatsApp users speak while seeing each other through their phone cameras, adding live video to the service’s existing messaging and voice-call tools.

WhatsApp began rolling video calling out globally on November 14, 2016, supporting iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone. Starting a call presented users with a choice between a voice call and a video call. The launch followed testing in beta versions of the app.

The rollout was notable because WhatsApp already had more than a billion users and operated across several mobile platforms. The company emphasized making video calls work reliably under different network conditions rather than limiting them to a single device ecosystem.

A frequent mix-up is the distinction between one-to-one video calls and group video calls. The 2016 launch concerned calls between two accounts. Group voice and video calling arrived later, in 2018, initially allowing up to four participants. WhatsApp has expanded those limits substantially since then.