How much do WhatsApp calls Cost?

WhatsApp is undoubtedly one of the most popular mobile apps in the world today. With more than 900 million registered users, the communication app has changed the way we all communicate.

When WhatsApp released their newest feature of free video calling, it was seen as a potential game changer. Not to forget, this new video calling feature will bring down your mobile bills tremendously.

However, have you ever thought what the cost of a video call on WhatsApp is? We’d say that it largely depends on the type of network that you are using. However, we can confirm it to you that WhatsApp’s calling feature is not entirely free.

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So, the cost of a WhatsApp video call depends on the type of network you are on. If you are on a Wi-Fi network with an unlimited bandwidth of usage, then WhatsApp video calls are virtually free. However, if you are using your phone’s mobile data and are on a 2G/3G/4G network, then you end up paying money for every call.

So, we decided to do the math for you. We tested WhatsApp video calls over a duration of 15 minutes and did local, STD, and ISD calls. We used Vodafone 3G for all our testing, and here is what we found.

First, it doesn’t matter if you’re doing a local, STD, or ISD call on WhatsApp, you pay the same money for all the three of them. For the 15 minutes that we were on call, we ended up consuming nearly 12 MB of mobile data.

When we translate 12 MB into monetary terms, it roughly comes out to be around Rs. 50 if you don’t have a data pack. However, if you do have a data pack, then a 15 minute WhatsApp video call is going to cost you around Rs. 3!

(Image Courtesy: DA)

So, what does this mean? This means that WhatsApp’s video calling is not completely free, what you do end up paying for them is still much lesser than what you pay for a traditional video call. For instance, you will likely pay more than Rs. 100 for an ISD call of 15 minutes.

But, in all this glory, there is one hitch. Calling over the internet is still a new thing for us and as a result, the quality of calls is sometimes not satisfactory. Besides, if you’re on a 2G network, then there is no point in making a WhatsApp video call as the quality is going to be horrendous. However, as internet video calls start getting popular, we’ll see groundbreaking revolutions happening every day.

Did you think WhatsApp calls are absolutely free? Let us know in the comments below.

(Featured Image Courtesy: MIUI)