New WhatsApp voice note feature
Popular messaging app WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow users to continue listening to a voice note after leaving a chat.
WABetaInfo has discovered the feature — dubbed global voice message player — is currently under development for the beta version of WhatsApp on iOS.
The global voice message player lets users start a voice note and then exit a chat, view and reply to messages in other conversations in the app while continuing to play back the voice note.
While playing, a window will be pinned to the top of the app with an option to pause or stop playing the voice message.
This feature will be handy for those multi-tasking users without the time to listen to minutes-long voice notes.
It does not allow for playing voice notes while the app is minimised.
The image below shows what the feature currently looks like in the beta test.
WhatsApp also recently added new functions to its disappearing messages feature on beta versions of the app.
On the official app, the feature currently only allows users to set messages to disappear after seven days.
WhatsApp Beta versions on iOS now also let you choose 24 hours or 90 days.
There is also an option to enable a “Default Message Timer” under the app’s privacy settings, which will turn on disappearing messages by default for any new chats.
These two new features are now available on WhatsApp Beta for iOS and WhatsApp Business Beta for iOS> The features are expected to become available on the WhatsApp Beta for Android.
WhatsApp states that it is not currently accepting new testers to its beta programme, as it has reached a maximum number of users participating in it.
However, its new multi-device support is open for testing by the public in a separate beta.
That feature allows WhatsApp users to run the app on multiple devices without requiring their smartphone to be actively connected to the Internet.
To try out the new feature, update to the latest version of WhatsApp and follow the steps below for your particular platform:
Android:
- Tap the three-dot menu at the top-right of the app
- Select “Linked Devices”
- Choose “Multi-Device Beta”
- Tap “Join Beta” and follow the instructions
iOS:
- Tap Settings at the bottom-right of the app
- Select “Linked Devices”
- Select “OK” on the pop-up explaining the new devices
- Tap “Multi-Device Beta”
- Choose the blue “Join Beta” button
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