WhatsApp on Tuesday announced that its voice calling service is now available to millions of smart feature phone users in emerging markets, including India, which are running the KaiOS platform.
The new feature is available with the latest version of the app on KaiOS devices worldwide equipped with 512MB RAM.
The WhatsApp update brings voice calls over the internet to KaiOS smart feature phone users, where they can now make phone calls within WhatsApp using Wi-Fi or mobile data.
“Together with WhatsApp, we are taking another significant step towards the goal to make essential, useful services accessible for everyone, including underserved communities, seniors looking for simple devices, and those using KaiOS devices as a companion phone,” said Sebastien Codeville, CEO of KaiOS Technologies.
Since its launch on KaiOS back in mid-2019, WhatsApp has been made available to millions of people in emerging markets for the first time.
WhatsApp is now the top KaiOS non-system app with the highest monthly active users (MAU) worldwide.
Built by San Diego, California-headquartered start-up KaiOS Technologies, KaiOS is the leading mobile operating system for smart feature phones with more than 150 million devices shipped in over 150 countries.
“Bringing WhatsApp voice calls to KaiOS-enabled devices helps us connect the world privately through a service that is simple, reliable, and accessible to everyone — no matter what kind of mobile device they’re using,” said Matt Idema, COO of WhatsApp.
To activate the new feature, KaiOS users should update the current version of WhatsApp on their devices by accepting the update notification within the app.
