What you need to know
- WhatsApp started rolling out screen sharing recently.
- The feature works on WhatsApp for Windows, iOS, and Android.
- Screen sharing support is rolling out gradually, so not all users have access to it at this point.
WhatsApp is one of the most used communication apps on the planet, but until recently it lacked a key feature provided by its competitors. Up until last week, WhatsApp did not give users an option to share screens during a video call. That’s changed, however, with the release of a recent WhatsApp update. The new feature is rolling out gradually, according to TechCruch, so you may not have the option to share your screen just yet.
Mark Zuckerburg, the CEO of Meta, announced the addition to WhatsApp last week. Screen sharing will work on iOS, Android, and Windows, bringing video calls in the app to feature parity with competitors in an important area.
While almost 2 billion people use WhatsApp each month, they have to hop over to another app if they want to share their screens. That drives people away from WhatsApp and over to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and other platforms when they need to share content from a screen.
When Zuckerberg discussed the ability to share a screen, he showed a screenshot of the feature in action. The image also shows off what a WhatsApp call looks like in landscape mode rather than portrait mode. The main video feed of the call is featured in a wide aspect ratio and then meeting participants are shown in smaller squares on the side.
WhatsApp started testing screen sharing in beta with select users back in June 2023.
