How can I use Whatsapp video call on Linux?

I tried Whatsapp-for-Linux and Whatsie but they didn’t work.

  • Eugenia@lemmy.mlEnglish
    15·
    3 months ago

    Video calls are not supported under Linux afaik, since they don’t enable it for the web version.

    • Fonzie!@ttrpg.network
      3·
      3 months ago

      I wonder if they’re supported on Windows with Chrome…? Maybe this is a case of simply replacing the UA string?

        • Treachery4524@lemmy.ml
          1·
          3 months ago

          Well they probably could get it to work in the browser it’s just that they didn’t. I wonder why?!

            • Treachery4524@lemmy.ml
              1·
              3 months ago

              Doesn’t discord support video calls in the browser? Surely it cant be the e2e being the problem here? I didn’t know about the WASM overhead, I always thought of it as near native but I guess that’s not the case then? Websockets should work fine though right?

                • Treachery4524@lemmy.ml
                  1·
                  3 months ago

                  You raise valid points and thank you for the detailed answer. It’s a shame wasm isn’t hardware accelerated, is that because of security or is it simply not implemented yet? (i can google this but I’m just wondering.) I agree that being able to call on a web browser is perhaps less necessary because of the phone having to be linked anyway, but it still would be nice to have :)

                • xavier666@lemm.eeEnglish
                  1·
                  3 months ago

                  Discord uses unencrypted WebRTC

                  I’m a noob but how unencrypted are we talking about here? Can someone do a packet capture and reconstruct the video? Or like unencrypted at the machine level and other processes can see.

  • Tumbleweeds5@discuss.tchncs.de
    14·
    3 months ago

    I’m guessing all the people suggesting to ditch WhatsApp have never been to Brazil. Everything there is done with it, you can buy groceries, medicine, do banking, get services, take out, etc… Getting the whole country to change will never happen. So, yes, while some of us do install Signal, none will ever uninstall WhatsApp…

      • jherazob@beehaw.orgEnglish
        3·
        3 months ago

        We’re seeing the fallout from a commercial service used for public interest communication falling in real time with Twitter, so many public service things that depended or still depend on Twitter have outright broke as it turns into raw sewage and people flee it. That should have NEVER been the main communications medium, and now the price is being paid. I understand as i too am in a place where WhatsApp is near-mandatory, but this is something that WILL have bad consequences sooner or later.

    • Patch@feddit.uk
      1·
      3 months ago

      The UK isn’t quite that far, but it’s absolutely the dominant text messaging and calling app in the UK. Nobody uses the built in Android or Apple tools anymore, and I’m as likely to receive a WhatsApp voice call as an actual phone call these days.

      I have Signal on my phone, but I’ve literally never had a cause to use it; I’ve simply got no contacts on there.

    • T (they/she)@beehaw.org
      1·
      3 months ago

      Yup, WhatsApp is basically the Brazilian WeChat. If I uninstall WhatsApp I basically lose contact with my mom and a bunch of other people since I live in Canada.

      • devraza@lemmy.ml
        2·
        3 months ago

        my mom and a bunch of other people

        People who aren’t very close to you are one thing, but wouldn’t your mom of all people be wiling to install Signal or your preferred alternative?

        • T (they/she)@beehaw.org
          2·
          3 months ago

          My mom is 70 years old and can barely use her phone. It took many years to convince her to get a smartphone.

  • haui@lemmy.giftedmc.com
    10·
    3 months ago

    You can use jitsi both on mobile and desktop and it is platform agnostic, privacy respecting and FOSS. Just dont use whatsapp (video) at all.

    • Magister Sieran@discuss.tchncs.de
      15·
      3 months ago

      Ah yes, the obligatory “lol just don’t use $thing” response. Helps nobody, but I guess it lets you feel superior.

      I hate Facebook as much as anyone, but in the real world people don’t always have the luxury of getting to use whatever you consider morally correct. Especially with a messenger – depending on where you are, Whatsapp might just be what most people are using, and the people are the reason you would use a messenger in the first place.

    • sandayle@lemmy.mlOP
      12·
      3 months ago

      I hate Whatsapp. I didn’t use it for three years, but I have to use it for the last two years due to my work.

      • Andy@chaos.social
        5·
        3 months ago

        @sandayle I’m really sorry about that and you have my fullest condolences. Nobody should be forced to use non-free software

    • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
      10·
      3 months ago

      People who say this in response to a request for help should just be perma-banned. Just get rid of them flat out. It’s the sure sign that someone is a total buffoon and will only ever make the place worse.

      • verdigris@lemmy.ml
        2·
        3 months ago

        I think there’s value in pushback against popular but problematic software. Some people just don’t realize that, for example, WhatsApp is owned entirely by Meta and is known to collaborate with law enforcement, which are two facts that entirely undermine its main selling point.

        • AndrewZabar@lemmy.world
          3·
          3 months ago

          Yes and if someone was looking for advice in general then it would be appropriate. Or if this were a security sub. Or, if you had a solution available and included a warning parenthetically as a courtesy.

          But responding to a request for help with telling the person they should not do what they want to do is a tired old obnoxious cliché and nobody appreciates it. It’s universally hated.

  • Fonzie!@ttrpg.network
    8·
    3 months ago

    Using an Android emulator like Waydroid or compatibility layer like Anbox you might be able to use the Android version on Linux and pick up calls from there?

    I have good experiences with Waydroid, but no experience with WhatsApp so I can’t guarantee it will work, it’s just a suggestion that I hope will help