However, to access the new, higher participant limit on WhatsApp calls, all participants in a call need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp available on iPhone or Android

Whatsapp on Tuesday said that it was doubling the number of participants on a WhatsApp video or voice call to eight from four at a time.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many of us are isolated from friends and family. As a result, we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before,” the company said in a statement.

It added that over the last month, people on average were spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic.

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“Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once. Starting today, we are doubling the number of participants you can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from four to eight people at a time,” it said.

As with written messages, the Facebook-owned firm said that all the calls were protected with end-to-end encryption. “We have built group calling in a way that makes it available for as many users as possible, including people on lower-end devices and slow network conditions,” it said.

However, to access the new, higher participant limit on WhatsApp calls, all participants in a call need to update to the latest version of WhatsApp available on iPhone or Android.