WhatsApp Unveils Game-Changing ‘Voice Chats' for Large Groups
WhatsApp has just introduced an exciting new feature reminiscent of Discord, offering a voice chat option for large groups. This announcement, made by the Meta-owned company on Monday, unveils a less intrusive alternative to traditional group calls, which often disturb every member with ringing. Instead, voice chats now commence discreetly, allowing participants to join by tapping on an in-chat bubble.
This innovative feature facilitates discussions among group members, providing the flexibility to converse with those present while continuing to message those who are not. Participants can easily unmute, end the call, or send messages to the group without exiting the voice chat, thanks to the convenient call controls located at the top of the chat.
Rolling out globally in the coming weeks, WhatsApp will initially introduce voice chats to large groups of 33 people or more. It's noteworthy that the company has prioritized the security of these voice chats by implementing default end-to-end encryption.
The functionality of voice chats on WhatsApp mirrors that of similar features on platforms like Discord, Telegram, and Slack, enabling extensive group communication through spoken conversations.
The unveiling of this feature follows earlier reports by WABetaInfo in August, indicating that WhatsApp was in the testing phase for voice chats.
WhatsApp has been actively enhancing its platform, introducing various features in recent months. Users can now manage two accounts simultaneously, and Android users benefit from passkey support. Additionally, the new “Flows” functionality has improved the app's shopping experience, allowing users to perform tasks such as selecting a flight seat or booking an appointment without leaving the application.
This announcement aligns with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's disclosure during the Q3 earnings call, where he highlighted the remarkable interaction rate of over 600 million daily interactions between users and businesses across Meta's platforms. The Q3 earnings report also revealed a 53% year-over-year increase in family of apps and other revenue, primarily driven by the WhatsApp Business platform.
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