Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has announced a new feature for WhatsApp that allows users to share their screen during a video call. The feature is cross-platform compatible, enabling users to easily show a live view of their screen to one or more persons on the call. “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,” reads WhatsApp’s press release. To share your screen on WhatsApp video calls, you need to follow these steps: 1. Make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your device. 2. Start a video call with one or more contacts. 3. During the video call, you will see a new ‘Share’ icon at the bottom of the screen. It looks like a phone with an arrow pointing out of it. 4. You will be asked to grant screen share access to WhatsApp next. Tap on ‘Start Now’ or ‘Start Broadcast’ to confirm. Your screen will then be streamed to the other party. You will see a red bar at the top of your screen indicating that you are sharing your screen. 5. To stop sharing your screen, tap on the red bar and select ‘Stop’ or ‘Stop Broadcast’. Alternatively, you can tap on the ‘Share’ icon again and select ‘Stop Sharing’. Other tips Do note that the feature is being rolled out in a phased manner. While some may already be seeing it on their WhatsApp, others may have to wait a bit longer. Screen-sharing also supports landscape mode for video calls. This can be useful when sharing the screen from desktop platforms for a wider and more immersive viewing experience. Additionally, the feature is cross-platform compatible, meaning you can share your screen with anyone using WhatsApp on any device, such as iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, or web. WhatsApp's screen-sharing works for group calls as well. It can therefore make WhatsApp more versatile in professional settings. Users who previously relied on apps like Google Meet and Zoom for screen sharing can now use WhatsApp for the same purpose.
