Facebook-owned WhatsApp has announced that video calls will—at last—be rolling out imminently, a move that came on the same day Microsoft revealed that Skype can now be used online without registration.

WhatsApp video chats will be available across iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.

Microsoft, meanwhile, said on Monday that Skype fans can now access a video-conferencing guest account without registering for a login via its Web app.

It's claimed that more than one billion people use the instant-messaging app WhatsApp every month. Voice calls were first released in April 2015, and the new video service is no-frills: when users make a call, they are prompted to choose between voice and video.

Picking the latter, they're presented with a barebones call without fripperies like filters. WhatsApp’s lead engineer, Manpreet Signh, told Wired: "We want it to be simple. We want to make sure people understand how video calls can be done. That’s been the model for everything we’ve developed at WhatsApp."

WhatsApp reiterated that it wanted to make video calling "available to everyone, not just those who can afford the most expensive new phones or live in countries with the best cellular networks."

And Microsoft's announcement suggests that it has finally noticed that there are plenty of other desktop video-conferencing apps that don't require users to register. Users can generate a link to a conversation from Skype's homepage, which guests can join immediately upon clicking on a link, either through the app or as a guest from the Web.

All of Skype's free features are made available in this way, including group instant messaging, voice and video calls, screen sharing, and file sharing. Up to 300 people can chat and 25 people can join a call, Microsoft said.