WhatsApp Rolling Out Feature to Share Voice Messages as Status Updates to Android Beta Testers: Report

WhatsApp voice status updates, like video, photo, and text updates, will also disappear after 24 hours.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 18 January 2023 19:29 IST

WhatsApp Rolling Out Feature to Share Voice Messages as Status Updates to Android Beta Testers: Report

Photo Credit: Bloomberg

The text Status section on WhatsApp contains the latest feature

Highlights

The voice status updates can be a maximum of 30 seconds
The feature also comes with a discard recording option
The feature will reportedly be widely available in the coming weeks

WhatsApp has reportedly begun rolling out a new feature for select Android beta testers that allows them to exchange voice notes as status updates. The feature lets you share voice status updates “with a certain audience configured within your privacy settings,” according to a feature tracker. The new feature is available within the text status section for select users on the beta channel. These voice status updates, like video, photo, and text updates, will also disappear after 24 hours.

According to a report by feature tracker WABetaInfo, select beta testers who have updated to version 2.23.2.8 can now post voice notes as WhatsApp Status updates. The WhatsApp feature and update tracker website notes that the feature is visible within the text status section, and adds that the maximum recording time for a voice status update is 30 seconds. Users can also discard a recording before re-recording and sharing it.

As with other status updates, voice notes are also protected by end-to-end encryption (E2EE). Users can also choose who can see their Status within their privacy settings. Similarly, like video, photo, and text status updates, voice statuses will also disappear after 24 hours. The WABetaInfo report added that the feature is likely to be available to more users in the coming weeks.

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WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a feature to better deal with spam messages. The Meta-owned messaging service was found testing a feature that enables users to block people who are not in their contact list, directly from the notification bar. With this feature, users will eventually be able to block unfamiliar and unreliable contacts without having to open the chat.

WhatsApp message notifications currently have two options: reply and mark as read. The upcoming feature will offer users a third option: Block, which will be available only for messages received from unknown senders, according to the feature tracker.

Is 2023 the year when you should finally buy a foldable phone? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Further reading: WhatsApp Beta, WhatsApp

Sucharita Ganguly

Email Sucharita Ganguly

Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More