WhatsApp is working on a voice chat function for up to 32 participants

A new voice chat feature has become available in the latest beta of WhatsApp for Android. This allows up to 32 users to talk to each other simultaneously. It is not yet known when the feature will be rolled out to all users.

The feature is currently available to a small group of beta testers in version 2.23.16.19, reports WABetaInfo. However, according to the site, some users of the stable version of the app for Android may already be able to try out the feature.

In terms of usage, it resembles Discord’s voting channels and the Huddles in Slack, among other things. If a user has activated the voice chat feature through their settings, they can start a conversation in a group. Tapping the sound wave icon at the top right of the group chat starts a voice chat. A maximum of 31 other users can then join in and talk simultaneously.

The main advantage of the feature is that it makes it possible to start a conversation without the phone ringing for every participant in the group. However, each group participant will receive a silent push notification when a new voice chat has started in their group.

If each user leaves the session, it remains active. The session will automatically end after one hour. The voice chats in WhatsApp, like other messages, are encrypted by default.

Source: WABetaInfo