New WhatsApp Feature Allows Discord-Like Voice Chats For Large Groups

WhatsApp, a company owned by Meta, announced on Monday that it is launching a new voice chat feature for large groups that is reminiscent of Discord. This feature aims to be less disruptive compared to a group call, which rings every member in a group. Instead, voice chats are initiated quietly, with an in-chat bubble that users can tap to join.

The purpose of this feature is to allow group members to have conversations while still enabling communication through messages for those who are unable to join the voice chat. Users can easily unmute, hang up, or send messages to the group without leaving the ongoing voice chat by accessing the call controls located at the top of the chat.

WhatsApp plans to roll out voice chats globally to large groups in the upcoming weeks, starting with groups that consist of 33 people or more. It is worth noting that WhatsApp ensures the security of voice chats with end-to-end encryption by default.

In terms of functionality, WhatsApp’s voice chats are similar to those found on other platforms such as Discord, Telegram, and Slack, as they enable a seamless spoken chat experience for large groups of people.

It comes as no surprise that WhatsApp is introducing this new feature, as WABetaInfo previously reported on its testing phase back in August.

In recent months, WhatsApp has been actively adding various features to its platform. It recently launched the ability for users to operate two accounts simultaneously and introduced passkey support on Android. Furthermore, it improved its shopping experience by introducing “Flows,” which enables users to perform tasks like selecting a flight seat or booking appointments without leaving the app.

This release follows Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement during the company’s Q3 earnings call that users and businesses are engaging with its platforms over 600 million times per day. Zuckerberg emphasized the growth of the WhatsApp Business platform, with family of apps and other revenue reaching $293 million in Q3, a 53% increase compared to the previous year.