WhatsApp’s New Update Is One Step Closer to Ending Your Phone App
Calling has become a core feature in WhatsApp, but since its introduction, it has evolved very little. Aside from messaging and video calls, it has remained a basic communication tool. Now, Meta appears to be preparing a long-awaited upgrade, with voicemail-style messages and call reminders spotted in the latest beta version.
Presently, WhatsApp calling is as simple as it gets. You pick a contact, place a call, and hope they are online and willing to answer. If they miss or ignore the call, you are left with a plain "no answer" prompt.
Leave Your Message After You Hear the Beep
Meta is now integrating a voicemail-style feature that resembles what you would find in a traditional phone app or dialer. Users will be able to leave a voice message when a recipient does not answer the call.
In WhatsApp Beta 2.25.23.21 for Android, some users are starting to see a new overlay screen when a call goes unanswered. The screen presents three options: Cancel, Record voice message, and Call again. Tapping Record launches the voice recording function, allowing you to explain why you called and send the message for the contact to hear later.
Meanwhile, Cancel returns you to the previous chat screen, while Call again simply redials the contact.
This voicemail-style feature is similar to manually recording a voice message in a chat, but the new shortcut removes extra steps and makes the interaction smoother.
The feature is not yet available in the iOS version of WhatsApp beta, but we believe it could be added soon for testing purposes.
Call Reminder Feature
In addition to voicemail, Meta is also working on a reminder feature for calls. If a call is unanswered, you will be able to set a time to remind yourself to call the contact again. It is still unclear how this will work alongside the voice message option once both features go live.
Meta is clearly enhancing WhatsApp’s calling experience by adding familiar tools from traditional dialers. That makes sense, considering millions of users rely on WhatsApp for voice calls every day.
Both features are currently available in beta. There is no word yet on when they will roll out to the public version.
What do you think of these updates? Are they useful additions or just nice-to-haves? Share your thoughts in the comments
Source: WABetaInfo
