Meta-owned WhatsApp introduces a new voice chat feature designed for larger groups, offering a more seamless and less disruptive experience compared to traditional group calls. Instead of alerting all members simultaneously, the new feature allows participants to join the voice chat quietly through an in-chat pop-up notification.
Launching a voice chat is effortless. Group members will receive a push notification to join the conversation. Participants can freely join and exit the voice chat without causing any disruption. The call controls remain accessible throughout the voice chat, enabling both active and non-active members to send text messages.
Furthermore, participants can readily identify those currently engaged in the voice chat by viewing the list displayed in the banner at the bottom of the screen. Several social media and messaging platforms, such as Discord, Telegram, and Slack, offer similar voice chat functionalities, enabling users within the same group or server to connect and engage through voice conversations.
Meta is gradually introducing the voice chat feature worldwide on both Android and iOS devices, Starting video chat with larger groups of 33 members or more. WhatsApp has indicated that the feature will be accessible to all users in the forthcoming weeks as the rollout process concludes.
WhatsApp has recently unveiled a new privacy feature for voice calls, empowering users to conceal their IP addresses during phone conversations. In an official blog post, WhatsApp announced the commencement of the optional feature's rollout, enabling users to activate the "Protect IP address in calls" option within the advanced settings menu under the Privacy section.