A Whatsapp App page is seen on Facebook on a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone
IN PHOTO: A Whatsapp App page is seen on Facebook on a Samsung Galaxy S4 phone in the central Bosnian town of Zenica, February 20, 2014. Facebook Inc will buy fast-growing mobile-messaging startup WhatsApp for $19 billion in cash and stock in a landmark deal that places the world's largest social network closer to the heart of mobile communications and may bring younger users into the fold. Reuters/Dado Ruvic

WhatsApp has finally announced the availability of the voice calling facility for Windows Phone users, according to reports.

The announcement of WhatsApp calling feature few months ago created a lot of excitement among users but the provision was not available for Windows 8 users, reports Solar HBJ. There are minor additions to the new update. With the WhatsApp version 2.12.60, users can calls their friends and family for free, even if they are based in some other country, reports Windows Central. The publication also mentioned that the facility to send audio files is available on Windows Phone 8.1+.

According to a report on Phonearena.com, the addition of voice calling feature to Whatsapp was first heard in April last year and this happened just after few months of Facebook acquiring WhatsApp. Windows Phone edition of WhatsApp has been struggling for some time now and only with the newly released 2.12.60 version, Windows Phone WhatsApp users can avail some voice chat facility, reports Phonearena.com.

Now that WhatsApp calling feature is available in the Windows 8 platform, users might snub Viber and Skype as WhatsApp gives them the provision to make calls, reports Solar HBJ. VoIP apps must ensure the delivery of a better and richer calling experience to make sure that their users do not switch to another app and the huge user base of Whatsapp could act as a bigger advantage for the platform, reports Solar HBJ.

According to the Phonearena.com report, seeing the performance of voice chat feature on iOS and Android devices, a lot more work needs to be done to improve the voice calling feature. With Windows Phone joining the league, WhatsApp developers can focus on refining the overall service, making it capable to compete with Viber and Skype, reports Phonearena.com.

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