Instagram adds walkie-talkie function to respond with voice messages

Instagram has expanded the chat section of its mobile app with a walkie-talkie feature. As a result, you can now also respond to photos with voice messages, without having to immediately start a video chat.

In the chat section of Instagram appears since the latest update a microphone icon in the text input field. To record a message, hold down the button for as long as necessary, just like with a walkie-talkie. Once released, the message is sent automatically. But as long as the recipient hasn’t listened to it, you can still delete the message by briefly holding down the sound wave.

This isn’t the first time Instagram owner Facebook has gotten involved with voice messages. Facebook Messenger and Whatsapp, two other popular services from the company, have had a similar feature since 2013. It is probably no coincidence that the walkie-talkie function is now spreading to Instagram. Young people in particular are turning their backs on Facebook en masse, while the photo sharing app – certainly among the youth – remains popular for the time being.

The new feature is available in both the Android app and the iOS version of Instagram.