Facebook-owned WhatsApp may soon introduce a video-calling feature, competing in a space previously dominated by Apple's Facetime and Microsoft's Skype.
The feature is currently in the beta version of the app and was first spotted by Android Central. The option appears when the dialler button is pressed. Both parties need to have the beta version installed for it to work.
Anyone can download the beta version by going to the Google Play Store and confirming they would like to become a tester. However, beta versions of apps may include bugs.
In May, the Verge reported WhatsApp appeared to be testing a video-calling feature for small groups of users.
WhatsApp introduced voice-calling to its service in April last year and video-calling has been an expected follow-up feature.
With more than a billion active users, WhatsApp is used by one in every seven people on the planet. Introducing video-calling on the service will allow cheaper face-to-face mobile interactions, previously reserved for those who own a PC or iPhone.
Other services like Google and Snapchat recently introduced similar features or standalone apps, but do not have the same user numbers as WhatsApp.
It is not clear yet if WhatsApp video-calling has been optimised to work on slower networks like Google's Duo, which adjusts its call quality to changing network conditions and limits bandwidth.
Facebook's other instant messaging service, Messenger, introduced video-calling to the platform in April last year.
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