WhatsApp Video Call Not Working? Speedify Streaming Mode to the Rescue
Almost all of us have heard or used WhatsApp, whether to call someone, chat in a group or even do group calls. It’s a popular communication tool around the world. The most annoying thing by far is when somebody’s video begins to stutter and finally drops from the group call.
Unfortunately the Internet is not always as you’d like it to be: fast and reliable. This causes serious WhatsApp video call issues: low quality and stuttering videos and disconnects. So what can you do for that?
Well, we created the Streaming Mode for Speedify. It recognizes audio and video streams, and:
- prioritizes those streams over other network traffic, and
- dynamically changes traffic patterns between bonding (dividing network packets among multiple connections) and redundant (sending the same network packets through multiple connections).
This results in the best quality of service you can get for WhatsApp with the Internet connections you have available.
But exactly how good is Streaming Mode? Is Speedify the answer to the question of how to solve WhatsApp video call issues? We decided to put it to test – and this article will show exactly what we got.
WhatsApp Testing: How Good Is Speedify’s Streaming Mode when Dealing with Video Call Issues?
Unless they’re having issues, we all know WhatsApp performs well when you’re backed by a fast and stable Internet. But what about the real world, where most likely you don’t get that luxury?
The testing procedure consists of 2 series of tests for WhatsApp video calls:
- Without Speedify;
- Speedify on with Streaming Mode enabled.
In terms of devices and operating systems, we tested it on an Android smartphone and an iPhone. We combined Wi-Fi and cellular on both devices.
The evaluation is done both subjectively and objectively as follows:
- We screen capture and analyze the WhatsApp video call quality;
- We walk towards the edge of the Wi-Fi network. This helps us simulate:
- insufficient bandwidth conditions, as we get away from the Wi-Fi router;
- unreliable connectivity at the edge of Wi-Fi with dead spots and packet loss;
- disconnecting Wi-Fi internet and how quick it switches to cellular.
For the Speedify tests, we looked at the bandwidth, latency and packet loss. And, of course, how they are affected by our “course” away from Wi-Fi.
Improving WhatsApp Video Calls: Tests Are In for Streaming Mode
As you can imagine, in the test with no Speedify running, once we get near the edge of Wi-Fi, the image starts stuttering. Then the video drops and we get the “Reconnecting” message from WhatsApp. This happens for 10+ seconds until cellular takes over. There was no notable difference between the two smartphones in terms of video quality and call behavior.
Testing Streaming Mode on a WhatsApp Call on iPhone
So we tested WhatsApp on an iPhone while on a video call, running Speedify Streaming Mode. The video itself didn’t even stutter for one bit. Here’s how the bandwidth distribution looks like:
First of all, Speedify makes it possible to use both Wi-Fi and cellular at the same time. That’s why you see both connections being used together on the graph above. When Wi-Fi start failing, you notice that with the help of Speedify cellular takes over. The general bandwidth is constant, switching from 1.2 Mbps to around 500 kbps when only cellular is used.
The little red x-es above symbolize the moments when packet loss over the Wi-Fi connection was very high – over 5%. If Speedify would not have been running, then you would have ended up like in the first case – buffering and automatically ending broadcast.
What about WhatsApp with Speedify in Streaming Mode on Android?
The Android test with Speedify Streaming Mode was similar to the iPhone one – video was good in the sense that quality was good and it didn’t break.
As you can see, when Wi-Fi is good and strong enough, cellular stops being used. However, cellular kicks back in as soon as Speedify detects that Wi-Fi is flaky. Notice the steady bandwidth around 1 Mbps while there’s a “hint” of Wi-Fi. Then, it drops to 0.5 Mbps, as in the case of the iPhone. And Speedify keeps that fairly constant. Again – the red x-es symbolize the high Wi-Fi packet loss rate.
Here’s the raw average data from testing:
|
iOS |
Android |
|||||
|
Bandwidth (Mbps) |
Average |
Minimum |
Maximum |
Average |
Minimum |
Maximum |
|
Overall |
0.89 |
0.39 |
1.24 |
0.70 |
0.16 |
1.31 |
After looking at this table and the results above, we can conclude that Speedify was able to prevent the WhatsApp video call to drop or encounter any issues. Thanks to the intelligent dynamic traffic prioritization of its new Streaming Mode.
Test Conclusion: Speedify Streaming Mode Solves WhatsApp Video Call Issue Related to Unreliable Internet
There you have it – when looking at how to improve WhatsApp calls, one of the must-haves is to use Speedify. Speedify’s Streaming Mode makes a huge difference for your WhatsApp calls.
To put it in context, here’s what happens under the hood of Streaming Mode. Speedify monitors statistics in real-time about how each of your Internet connections is performing. As connections change, and other apps start or stop sending data, Speedify adjusts its strategies on the fly. So, if you’re IRL streaming, you’re no longer chained around your router. Or that good public Wi-Fi hotspot you know in the city. You can walk around without dropping the stream. You don’t need to worry about it. Just start streaming: Speedify will make it happen.
To learn more about Streaming Mode and how to enable it check out the Speedify Knowledge Base article.
If you’re still wondering how to fix WhatsApp video call issues – get Speedify!
Download Speedify
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