With all the voice and video calling options available on a device that can also run Instagram, many created by Instagram’s parent company Facebook, you’d think the last thing the Instagram experience needs is… voice and video calling. I hear you. On the other hand, voice and video calling is really popular with users, and Facebook is desperately trying to make sure customers spend more time on its apps than Snap.
Instagram code reveals that voice and video calling support might be in the works for the popular photo-sharing app, and a release might be imminent.
According to TechCrunch, fils and icons for “Call” and “Video Call” were discovered in both the Instagram and Instagram Direct apps’ Android Application Packages (APK). These APKs can often reveal details about unreleased app features, which is why so many people tear them down in search of code hinting at new innovations.
The voice and video calls features are apparently lying dormant in the app, ready to be enabled via a future update. Instagram has not announced anything in that regard and did not comment on the findings.
Facebook does have plenty of expertise with voice and video calling for chat apps. After all, Messenger and WhatsApp both support it, so it makes sense to see the company add them to the Instagram Direct standalone chat app.
Time will tell if it’s a good idea to also bring them to the main Instagram app. But if that’s what users want, and Facebook has a pretty good idea of what people want, then it’s likely you’ll soon have the option to call your friends directly from Instagram, as strange as it may sound.
