While not ready yet for a full rollout, WhatsApp teased their voice call feature by activating it on selected accounts for a short period of time before disabling it again. In a recent update, some users reported seeing the voice call option, which they could use to call others on their list and activating the option for those users as well.
According to First Post, this invite feature was only available for a short amount of time, since which it has been disabled. Activated users are still being able to use the voice call feature, but can no longer invite other users to activate the feature on their phones.
Users who downloaded WhatsApp version 2.11.528 from Google Play Store or 2.11.531 from the official website reported that they noticed a third tab beside the usual chat and contacts tabs for voice calls. The interface appeared to be identical to the usual smartphone contact list, with a call logs feature built in.
WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum had announced that they had plans to roll out voice calls during the first quarter of 2015. He has also stated that developers were working to ensure optimum call quality for low-coverage areas with 2G network speeds, according to NDTV Gadgets.
With the feature apparently in the final testing phase, users can expect rollout to being shortly. Peer-to-peer calls are already available on most other messaging platforms like Viber, Hike and Line.There is still no word about when the feature would eventually be availble for the iPhone.
WhatsApp boasts over 700 million monthly active users, and the introduction of voice calls is likely to be a welcome change.