WhatsApp reinvents itself: Announcement of new voice chats for large groups

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WhatsApp, the well-known messaging application, continues to evolve and surprise its users by announcing the introduction of voice chats for large groups. This feature promises to be more discreet and effective than the current one.

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A gradual global update

According to WhatsApp, this update will be gradually rolled out globally in the coming weeks. The particularity of this new functionality is that it will initially focus on groups with at least 33 members. This marks a clear preference for large communities, which will likely be the first to benefit from the benefits of these new voice chats.

Large companies, schools and other large organizations will have the opportunity to improve their internal communication thanks to this new functionality which promises efficiency and discretion.

How the new voice chats work

With this update, several changes will be implemented. First, when you start a voice chat, group participants will not automatically be called. Instead of that :

They will receive an automatic notification,
They will see a bubble in the chat that they can tap to join the conversation.

This approach gives users more flexibility and less pressure, allowing them to participate in the voice conversation at their own pace.

Safety first

Another significant aspect of this new function is end-to-end encryption. This measure will ensure the confidentiality of conversations and ensure that only authorized participants have access to voice chat content. This protects voice chat against possible external intrusions, providing a level of security similar to that of individual calls and messages.

Additionally, the new voice chat feature will integrate call controls right at the top of the chat. Users will therefore be able to:

Reactivate the microphone,
To hang up,
Send messages without having to leave the conversation.

A necessity recognized by Meta

Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, has recognized the importance of offering flexible options when it comes to group communication. According to its representatives, there are situations where people prefer to speak only to members available at a given time, without giving up the possibility of sending messages to those who cannot be present.

It is in this context that these new voice chats will bring undeniable added value. They will be deployed on both iOS and Android and will be able to accommodate between 33 and 128 participants according to information provided by WhatsApp. There is no doubt that with this announcement, WhatsApp continues to push the boundaries of digital communication.