The latest beta version of WhatsApp on Android has a brand new voice chat feature. Up to 32 people can join a session.
Should the new feature also end up in conventional WhatsApp, Discord and Slack will have a new alternative to contend with that has the same capability. Parent company Meta’s Messenger app also has this option.
A small wavey icon shows that the new feature is available to the beta tester in question. Unlike a standard phone call in WhatsApp, no ringtone goes off. The concept is similar to a chat room in Discord, in that one can dynamically get in and out.
Also end-to-end encrypted
WhatsApp has never been reluctant to emphasize the platform’s end-to-end functionality of chat messages. The same goes for its new voice chats. It recently expanded these privacy-focused options with a Chat Lock capability. It also recently started being able to silence spam calls.
In recent months, many new features have been added to the communications platform at a rapid pace. In late July, for example, it added the option to send embedded video messages.
Its business platform, WhatsApp Business, also has increased its functionality recently.