WhatsApp Roll Out New Voice Chat Feature Big Groups Less Disruptive Discord

In a bid to introduce a feature that is ‘less disruptive’ for voice calls within large groups, WhatsApp is set to roll out a new voice chat, which could be similar to what we have seen Discord doing. While the feature was being tested in beta, and now, WhatsApp has officially confirmed release. Intended for minimal disruption compared to traditional group calls, the new feature initiates voice chats silently on the world’s most popular messaging platform, says a report by TechCrunch.

Instead of ringing every group member, users would be able to discreetly start voice chats by tapping an in-chat bubble to join, in the new feature that is likely to be available for WhatsApp users soon.

The Meta-owned company is gradually introducing voice chats to big groups in the next few weeks, commencing with those 33 people or more. WhatsApp underscores that default end-to-end encryption (E2E) ensures the security of these voice chats.

In the coming weeks, voice chats will be made available for both iOS and Android users. The initial rollout will focus on larger group chats, ranging from 33 to 128 participants, as indicated on WhatsApp’s feature page. This approach aims to manage participation, ensuring not everyone in a group can join a voice chat simultaneously.

It is said that groups with fewer than 33 users may not have been prioritised, given the availability of WhatsApp’s existing group voice calls feature for such scenarios.

This comes amid WhatsApp mulling to add advertisements within its Status and Channels. This is being seen as the world’s most popular messaging platform’s attempt to broaden its revenue streams and improve the overall user experience. It should be noted that WhatsApp does not intend to display advertisements in the primary inbox, it is likely to introduce ads within Status, which resembles the app’s Stories, and in Channels, a recent report by TechCrunch said.