WhatsApp is experimenting with voice chats in its beta versions for Android.

For those unfamiliar, voice chats are an option only available in groups with more than 32 members, which essentially allows you to speak verbally with other participants who wish to do so. To access it, you must go to the group information page and press the voice chat icon, which is also available, if possible, next to the three dots to access the menu. Well, in WhatsApp beta 2.24.25.22 things change, as a new icon has appeared to start voice chats. You’ll find it at the bottom right, above the microphone for voice messages. This new icon makes starting a voice chat much easier, but it can be a little confusing. At the bottom there are already several graphic elements, chat bubbles can also get in the way and finally, by scrolling up the conversation, the voice chat icon will disappear, replaced by the one to return to the bottom. In short, there is still work to be done and it is perhaps no coincidence that in the next beta, 2.24.25.23, this option has already disappeared for us (but perhaps not for all betas). testers).

However, with the previous beta version there was another important innovation: voice chats worked in any group, and no longer only those with more than 32 participants. This is arguably the most interesting thing, because it significantly expands the user base of this function. In fact, think about how many groups you regularly use on WhatsApp that have more than 32 members and we’re willing to bet they’re a minority of the total. But how does this “new” voice chat work? It’s very simple. Tap the icon and a drop-down menu will open at the bottom to confirm starting voice chat. Confirm and group members will receive a simple notification, not a ringtone. If no one arrives, you can press “notify group” to repeat the notification, but by clicking on the icon at the top right (the one with the symbol of the two little men), you can also remind specific members, in case you just want to talk. verbally with someone in particular. Once someone joins the voice chat, you’ll have participant icons in the drop-down list, with a sort of VU meter that moves based on the speech.