WhatsApp Brings Screen Sharing To The Masses

Messaging app WhatsApp announced some new features today, including the ability to share your screen during video calls. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of WhatsApp's parent company, Meta, disclosed the new screen-sharing feature in posts on both Facebook and Instagram. Long overdue, this update seems aimed at vying with alternative services such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. "Whether sharing documents for work, browsing photos with family, planning a vacation or shopping online with friends, or just helping grandparents with tech support – screen sharing lets you share a live view of your screen during the call," the company said. 

To take advantage of the feature, users will need to make sure that the latest version of WhatsApp is installed. During a video call, users will notice a new "Share" icon granting the option of sharing their entire screen or being limited to a specific app. The new screen-sharing feature won't surprise certain early adopters since beta versions have been available since May. Now official, the company will release versions for Android, iOS, and Windows Desktop at a staggered pace, so not all users will see the feature right away, says TechCrunch. 

Besides screen sharing, Meta also announced an update to WhatsApp's video calls, a cornerstone of the app since late 2016. In what is being called a "​​wider and more immersive viewing and sharing experience," video calls can now be displayed in landscape interface instead of just portrait mode. While seeing more of a caller and their environment in landscape mode is a welcome option, there's little doubt that this feature was spurred by the need for additional screen real estate for the newly-announced screen-sharing feature.

These latest updates are part of a long string of new features on WhatsApp this year, including the ability to quickly send short video notes, message yourself, and improved processes for taking polls and captioning documents. Although in-person meetings have resumed somewhat in a post-COVID world, video chat remains a popular and competitive space as a remnant of that era.