WhatsApp's Killer Blow: New Feature Makes Discord Obsolete
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Audio hangouts in voice chat are one of WhatsApp's nifty features for group conversations, similar to Discord's voice channels. Meta announced that it is updating this feature within the messenger platform, allowing even larger group chat members to join audio hangouts.
Audio hangouts in voice chats were shipped in 2023. They offer specific advantages over the app's standard voice calling feature, such as enabling spontaneous conversations, providing a collapsible chat interface, and allowing users to join or leave the chat without ringing other participants. While the app already supported up to 256 participants in a single chat, this limit has ballooned to more than a thousand in the latest update.
WhatsApp's Discord-like Feature Gets a Boost
WhatsApp stated in a press release that Voice Chat's audio hangouts will now accommodate "groups of all sizes," meaning each hangout can now host up to 1,024 participants—quadrupling the previous limit (a nice nod to binary numbers there, Meta!). That's a notably large limit and could work well for many group chats with open memberships.
As usual, voice chat audio hangouts will still function for smaller groups, with a minimum of two participants required for each chat.
How to Start Audio Hangouts in WhatsApp
Initiating an audio hangout involves swiping up and holding from the bottom of group chats for a few seconds until it connects, allowing you to then start talking. Audio hangouts also end automatically after 60 minutes of inactivity by any members. At the same time, Meta emphasize that it uses end-to-end encryption to all calls and messages, including audio hangouts in voice chat.
Meta has already rolled out the upgraded voice chat with the latest WhatsApp version for iOS and Android, ensuring that larger group sizes should not leave other members sidelined.
Have you tried voice chats in WhatsApp? How do you like it compared to the standard voice call feature? We want to hear about your experience in the comments.
Via: Engadget Source: WhatsApp Blog
