Men pose with smartphones in front of displayed Whatsapp logo in this illustration September 14, 2017. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Unlike the current 32-participant limit, the new feature will accommodate group calls with 33 to 128 participants.
Initially tested in WhatsApp’s Beta Program, the feature is now confirmed for both Android and iOS users, as announced by the Meta-owned messaging platform on November 13.
“Rolling out now: voice chat for your larger groups! You’ll soon have the option to talk it out live with whoever can join or keep texting with whoever can’t,” the instant messaging company stated on X.
The voice chat feature which will only be available for groups of 33 and more, will allow for users to be able to initiate a voice chat in a group by tapping on the top right corner of the screen and selecting ‘Start Voice Chat.’
Group members will not receive automatic notifications, but will however be alerted through a push notification and an in-chat bubble, offering the option to join, allowing for participants to see who has joined the voice chat in a banner at the bottom of the screen.
What’s more, the extended voice chat functionality enables real-time communication alongside text messaging within group chats.
To start a group voice chat, the user needs to open the group chat they want to start a voice chat with.
If the group chat has 33 or more participants, the user will have to tap ‘Group call’ then find the contacts they want to add to the call, then tap ‘Voice call.’
If the group chat has 32 or fewer participants, tap ‘Voice call’ and confirm the decision.