WhatsApp has announced new Discord voice chat features for groups. Here are all the details.
WhatsApp, one of the most popular instant messaging apps, recently launched a new feature that allows users to engage in voice chats similar to those in Discord. WhatsApp voice chats may sound a lot like voice calls or voice notes, but the new feature looks a lot like group calls. When you initiate a voice chat, you don’t ring anyone in a group. Instead, a silent push notification is sent. Just like Discord, you can join and leave a voice chat whenever you want. The call controls are located on the top of a group chat, so you can message while the chat is going on.
Participants in the group will be able to see who joins the voice chat through a banner at the bottom, while those who don’t join the voice chat will be able to view the profiles of the people who did.
How to start a WhatsApp voice chat?
Open the group chat with which you want to initiate a WhatsApp voice chat. Tap on the ‘Start Voice Chat’ button to open the group. Tap on ‘X’ icon in top right corner to close the voice chat. WhatsApp’s support page explains that “Voice chats’ are only available to groups of 33 – 128 people and are currently only available on the primary device.” Voice chats will end automatically if someone joins the last person in the group, or if nobody joins the first person or the last person for more than an hour. All WhatsApp voice chats are encrypted, just like personal WhatsApp calls or messages.
Back in August, ‘Voice Chats’ were only available to a few users on WhatsApp’s beta version, but it looks like WhatsApp is now rolling it out to all users. However, you may have to wait a few days for the new feature to show up on your device.