iPhoneItalia

Answer the phone -- WhatsApp is calling.

Friday, screenshots purportedly depicting the widely popular messaging app's coming-soon voice-calling features made their way to the Web courtesy of the blog iPhoneItalia. The shots, seen above, reportedly depict a beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone with a new interface for making calls.

The images suggest that WhatsApp with VoIP is on its way sooner rather later. Just weeks ago, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum promised to give the messaging app's iPhone and Android users voice communication options. He said voice calling would be added in the second of quarter of this year.

"We think we have the best voice product out there," Koum said at the time. "We use the least amount of bandwidth and optimize the hell out of it."

WhatsApp, which is being acquired by Facebook for $19 billion, currently supports a variety of messaging options and lets people leave recorded voice messages for one another. The application has 465 million active users.

Voice calls will pit WhatsApp more directly against VoIP apps such as Skype and Viber. Though Facebook already offers voice calling via Messenger, WhatsApp is operated independently and used by international audiences who would benefit from the addition of free calls.