Whatsapp is currently much more than an instant messaging service. This has been made clear, after a period of stagnation, with the incorporation of new functionalities that consolidate this application as an essential interpersonal communication tool. As an example, in just a few months, Whatsapp has launched circular videos as an alternative to audio messages, new channels that replace broadcast lists or the option to share screen during video calls, with which Meta seems to be willing to compete with other services like Google Meet.
There is no doubt then that Whatsapp has decided to go beyond two-way communication between mobile phones. Developers have adopted a multichannel approach – with their desktop or iPad applications – and an increasingly multidirectional approach, perhaps because users make their personal use compatible with their application in social and work environments. That is why WhatsApp does not stop testing new functions in its beta version, such as group voice chats, fresh from the latest update of the app.
With almost 3 billion active users worldwide, WhatsApp continues to be the leading messaging application on the market. It is followed by Facebook Messenger, to the delight of the business conglomerate founded by Mark Zuckerbeg. However, WhatsApp still lacks some of the features of its competitors, a list that has been considerably reduced in recent times.
The arrival of voice chats to WhatsApp groups is the latest news announced by Meta. This is a function that will be progressively rolled out to users over the coming weeks and will initially apply to groups of 33 or more people.
The main difference with group calls lies in their degree of intrusion. While when a group call is made, the ringtone sounds on all devices, voice chats are alerted with a silent notification. Thus, it is the users themselves who decide, based on their availability, whether to join the conversation or choose to write in the conventional chat.
To join voice chats, simply press an ‘audio’ icon that will appear in the upper right corner of the screen, next to the group name. One of the advantages of this functionality is that it allows users to agree in advance which issues are worth discussing out loud, without the need to write or listen to each one’s voice notes one by one.
Without a doubt, this is an option that expands the possibilities of the group members to express themselves and allows them to know the different points of view, in the appropriate tone and without room for misinterpretations that can be made of a text message.
This function is reminiscent of Discord or even X Spaces, formerly Twitter. Now it is the members of each group who must decide whether there is a quorum or not to start a voice chat.
