The service was initially slated for a Q2 2014 release

Oct 29, 2014 15:18 GMT  ·  By

Some of you might remember that WhatsApp announced several months ago that it would bring voice calling service to market sometime in the second quarter of 2014.

Given the fact that we’re already in the third quarter, many WhatsApp users probably lost any hope of getting the voice calling service this year, especially that the company’s officials have yet to share any additional details on what exactly is happening with the promised service.

Luckily, WhatsApp’s CEO Jan Koum was kind enough to offer more info on how and when the voice calling service would be rolled out, as well as some of the reasons that prevented the company from launching it in Q2 2014, as previously announced.

Speaking at Re/code’s Code/Mobile conference, Koum confirmed that WhatsApp engineers were hit by several technical issues that prevented the company from launching the voice calling service this year.

Due to these issues, the service has now been delayed to Q1 2015, WhatsApp’s CEO Jan Koum stated, but if these problems aren’t solved, the launch date will be moved further through the year.

Some issues prevent WhatsApp from launching the service this year

One of the problems encountered by WhatsApp engineers involves access to phone microphones. It appears that the application does not have full access to certain handsets’ microphones, so the noise cancellation would be more difficult.

Additionally, WhatsApp is now working to make the voice calling service operational in certain situations where network coverage is poor, and in regions with only EDGE coverage.

In the same piece of news, it’s worth mentioning that the voice calling service is likely to be offered for free, but mobile data fees may apply.

WhatsApp has no plans to monetize the application yet

According to Koum, since his company has been acquired by Facebook, WhatsApp has no intention to make money from the application or any related service offered through the instant messenger.

“We don't think advertising is the way to monetize a product like WhatsApp. For a bit, we can focus on growth only and not have to do any kind of experimentation with monetization,” stated Koum.

Speaking about the company’s plans for WhatsApp, Koum reiterates the fact that they are working continuously to make the application more memory and battery efficient instead of adding lots of new features.

Although WhatsApp’s voice calling service has been delayed to next year, there’s still a lot of time until Q1 2015, so we should not rule out an earlier launch if all issues are addressed. Stay tuned for more on the matter.