WhatsApp's co-founder Brian Acton has revealed that the free voice calling feature for iOS on the popular messaging service will be releasing soon.
While Android users have already got a taste of the feature which adds phone calling abilities to the app, iOS users can expect the same in a "couple of weeks."
Currently, the VOIP feature for WhatsApp is available for iOS but it is not functional. However, iOS users hankering for WhatsApp Calling need not fret as they now have the option of enabling the feature on their iPhone via a Cydia tweak i.e. WhatsApp Call Enabler.
So if you are unable to wait for the official roll out for iOS, here's how to go about getting WhatsApp Calling for your iPhone.
Important to Remember
This tweak will work if your iPhone is jailbroken. However, if your iPhone is running on iOS 8.2 then you may not be able to jailbreak your phone, unless it is the iOS 8.2 beta 2 version.
Once your phone is jailbroken (even though it is not advisable to do so), you can install the beta release of WhatsApp via the Cydia tweak.
Here's how to install WhatsApp Calling on your iPhone:
Step 1: Visit https://dev2.whatsapp.net/ios/WhatsApp/ and install WhatsApp beta 2.12.0.1
Step 2: Once WhatsApp beta has been installed, launch Cydia and add https://apt.imokhles.com/ repository to Cydia sources.
Step 3: Once the iMokhles repository has been added, install WhatsAppCallEnabler and enable it via the Settings app.
Step 4: Launch WhatsApp. Message a contact who has the WhatsApp Calling feature activated and ask them to give you a tinkle. After you have received a phone call from your contact, the WhatsApp Calling feature will be enabled on your iPhone.
For those skeptical about using the Cydia tweak, there is a way of enabling voice calling on WhatsApp without this tweak as well.
However, some people claim that this method may not give accurate functionality. Nevertheless, give it a shot if you wish.
Step 1: Install WhatsApp beta from https://dev2.whatsapp.net/ios/WhatsApp/
Step 2: Post installing WhatsApp beta, ask a friend who has WhatsApp Calling active to call. Post the call; the feature will be enabled on your iPhone.
Photo Credit Sam Azgor | Flickr
