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In a bid to make calls less frustrating, WhatsApp is rolling out the Voice Chat feature to groups on the platform. This is a very interesting feature that has been in beta testing for quite a while now, some users have even been able to try it out. But the voice chat feature is now making its way to group chats of 33 to 128 people to make calling friends more intriguing.
The group voice chat feature will help to eradicate certain problems that were the case with group calls. This new feature is also replacing group calls for good and it is bringing improvements within group chats. One of the major issues this new feature is fixing is the annoying rings from group calls.
Most WhatsApp users find this very annoying, especially when they have no interest in joining the call. But with group voice chats, users don’t get that annoying ring, but instead, just a simple notification that a member of the group started a voice chat. The user can then choose to join the voice chat or ignore it all without getting a ring on their device.
WhatsApp borrows a thing or two from Discord with the new group Voice Chat feature
Discord currently offers users within servers a chat room where they can talk to each other. WhatsApp seems to be borrowing this idea from Discord as they do away with group voice calls and introduce voice chats. The Meta-owned social media platform did well to improve upon a thing or two with its new voice chat feature to make it stand out.
Unlike Discord’s chat room, the new WhatsApp Group Voice Chat does not send rings on members’ devices. Instead, it gives off a silent push notification within the group chat and the calls interface. Members of the group chat can then tap on the notification to join the call.
The tap will pull up the option to join the voice chat or see those who are on the chat. Some design changes stand this feature out from the regular WhatsApp voice calls users are familiar with. The major change is in the group voice chat icon, which is now a waveform and replaces the previous telephone icon.
Any member of a group chat can start up a group voice chat and anyone in the group can join. WhatsApp also limited access to this feature to the user’s main device and not other linked devices. This might be a security measure to protect the user and others on the group chat.
Currently, this feature is rolling out to more users, as it was already available to some users. The recent updates to WhatsApp on Android and iOS devices are bringing this feature to users. If you are yet to get the group voice chat feature, you can check for the available upgrade on your device.