WhatsApp makes Voice Chats available to groups of any size

WhatsApp has announced the expansion of its Voice Chat feature for groups. The live audio feature is something that was well-received when it first appeared in the chat app, so the wider rollout makes a lot of sense. There is a twist, however.

While the feature is now available to more users than before, the expansion is not like most feature expansions.

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It is usually the case that new features in apps are made available to small groups of people, and then larger groups. For group Voice Chats in WhatsApp, it is the other way around. In this instance, large groups got early access, and it is only now being made available to smaller ones.

In a blog post about the widened availability of Voice Chats, WhatsApp says:

Previously available only for large groups, now anyone in your group can start a voice chat by going to the bottom of your chat, swiping up and holding for a few seconds. Starting a voice chat doesn’t notify or ring anyone, so that people can join and leave the hangout whenever. The voice chat stays pinned to the bottom of your chat so you can easily access call controls, while new members can join when they want and see who else has already.

WhatsApp points out that voice chats, like other communication methods across its platform, is end-to-end encrypted.