Hike, the Indian instant messenger has introduced free voice calling feature on 26th Jan. The feature lets you call other hike users over the Internet. The update is not done On-Air and one needs to update the app in order to be able to enjoy the calling feature. The feature is available in the Beta version for its users. This news was followed by the news of Hike acquiring Zip Phone, a US based free voice calling company.
The voice calling feature is directly accessible through the chat window by pressing the Call button. The feature as of now is only available on the Android platform and is functional only if both the parties have the updated versions of the software. The voice calling functionality is in beta phase and hence offers limited features which include the ability to pause the call and put it on speaker. The update is not available for iOS users for the time being.
WhatsApp had previously announced that they will be launching the web version and the voice calling feature. Although the web version is live, the voice calling feature has got postponed. One cannot ignore Google too, which plans to launch its own messenger. Amidst of all this, this move by Hike can be seen as offering something more to the users of Hike which other messengers lack.
