WhatsApp voice messages are really handy when you’re driving, or out-and-about or just can’t be bothered to type out a long-ass message. Naturally, they’re also much better at conveying tone, if you get them right.
That’s why we’re happy to see WhatsApp introduce the ability to preview voice messages on smartphones and the web before hitting send. Until now the only options have been to send or trash without being able to listen back.
Now you can ensure you’ve phrased everything in just the way you wanted before trashing or hitting send on that personal or professional message. “They’re not mistakes, they’re rehearsals,” WhatsApp says in announcing the feature on Twitter (below).
Users can commence the voice message in the usual way by opening a chat, tapping and holding the mic icon and sliding up to lock in hands-free recording (you can also just continue to hold), then press stop to halt the recording.
On the WhatsApp help page, the company adds:
“Tap play to listen to your recording. You can also tap any part of the recording to play it from that timestamp,” the company says on the help page for the feature.
“Tap the trash can to delete the voice message, or tap send to send it.”
Right now it appears the feature is rolling out to users gradually as I’m unable to access it on my iPhone. That’s despite WhatsApp saying its now available on iOS, Android and WhatsApp for Web.
However, it’s just one of a huge spate of features related to voice messages, disappearing messages, end-to-end encryption, online status and group calling WhatsApp has been rolling out in the last few months, with the prospect of more to follow.
In September, it was reported WhatsApp is lining up help from Apple to assist with the transcription of voice messages. That might be a feature we see in 2022.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
