If you've ever been frustrated by the impracticality of WhatsApp's voice messages function, you'll be pleased to know that the company is doing something about it.WhatsApp has unveiled a number of features to improve your voice messaging experience. Here's a look at what they are.
WhatsApp Adds New Voice Message Features
WhatsApp has added six updates to improve its voice messages. Together, these features aim to make your voice messaging experience easier and more convenient.
WhatsApp announced the features in a tweet, as well as in a Meta blog post on March 30, stating:
We’re launching new updates to help make sending and receiving voice messages easier.
As noted in the blog post, on average seven billion voice notes are sent by users per day. Considering how widely used WhatsApp's voice message function is, it's no surprise that the company is improving it.
So what are the six ways that WhatsApp is improving its voice messages? Let's have a look.
1. Out of Chat Playback
Previously, when you started playing a voice note, you had to stick it out and listen to the whole audio recording until it was done playing, and couldn't attend to other messages while listening.
Now, WhatsApp will continue to play the voice note you are listening to, even if you leave the chat to enter a new one.
2. Pause and Resume Recording
If you're one of the users who contribute to the seven billion voice messages sent on WhatsApp per day, then you've probably run into some issues while recording a voice note.
At the top of the list would be having to record the same message again because you were interrupted or received a phone call.
This has been one of the most frustrating things to happen when recording a voice note, but WhatsApp has rectified the issue. If you stop recording by mistake or need to pause recording for whatever reason, you can simply resume recording from where you left off when you're ready.
3. Waveform Visualization
This update will help you follow the voice message you're listening to by watching a visual representation of the audio, from start to finish.
That also helps you gauge how close (or far) you are from the end of the recording.
4. Draft Preview
We all know how daunting it is to send a voice message, only to realize when playing it back that it is unclear or the audio didn't record properly.
WhatsApp now lets you listen to a preview of your voice note before sending it to avoid this happening. This allows you to record your message again if necessary.
5. Resume Playback
Before, when you played a voice message again after pausing, the audio would start playing from the top, which meant that you had to listen to the whole clip all over again.
With this update, when you pause a voice message (whether intentionally or by mistake), you can simply resume playback and it will continue from where it left off.
The new pause-and-play feature is especially helpful when you need to do something quickly on your phone, like open another app, while listening to a voice note.
6. Fast Playback on Forwarded Messages
In June 2021, the app added a feature that let you speed up WhatsApp voice notes. Now, you can do the same for forwarded voice messages.
Sometimes you receive a voice message while you're busy and just need to listen to it faster than its original speed, so this feature saves you time and allows you to respond quickly.
WhatsApp Is Making Its Voice Messages More User Friendly
WhatsApp will be rolling out these six features "in the coming weeks"
As convenient as WhatsApp's voice messages are in theory, in the past, they haven't always been practical.
Between not having the option to pause and resume recordings, and being unable to listen to a voice note while attending to other messages, they've been an inconvenience to use at times.
But with these improved features, using WhatsApp's voice messages will be a smoother experience.