Learn how to start an audio chat on WhatsApp with some or all of the group participants, adjust live audio privacy, change call settings and more.
WhatsApp now supports voice chats in group conversations of all sizes. Before, the feature was restricted to large group chats with many participants.
Whether you’re in a smaller group chat with just a few of your closest friends or a large group conversation spanning dozens of participants, WhatsApp allows you to instantly initiate a voice call with a quick gesture. Your voice chats, as well as calls and messages, are protected with end-to-end encryption by default.
WhatsApp: Start voice chats with group participants
To start a voice chat in a WhatsApp group conversation, swipe up from the bottom of the chat and hold for a moment. This will instantly start live audio within the group conversation. You can continue to message people while voice chatting because your live audio is pinned to the bottom of the chat, along with call controls.
“Previously available only for large groups, now anyone in your group can start a voice chat by going to the bottom of your chat, swiping up and holding for a few seconds,” Meta notes on the WhatsApp blog.
Or, you can just hit the waveform icon in the text field. There’s a minimum of three participants to start a voice chat. To end the voice chat, tap the X symbol. Your voice chat will end automatically if no one joins it within 60 minutes.
WhatsApp fans needn’t worry about new features as Meta regularly tests upcoming capabilities, like AI wallpapers, message summarization and new privacy controls.
Notify others about the voice chat
No one in the group chat is notified that you just kicked off a voice chat (unless you choose to do so), letting others join and leave the hangout whenever they like. “When you start a voice chat, you join silently by default, but others in the group will be able to see if you’re connected,” reads the WhatsApp Help.
If you want to notify the group that you want to talk, tap the wave icon to send a notification inviting them to participate. They’ll need to tap Join to participate. New participants in the group conversation can see who’s on your audio call and join whenever they like.
“Voice chats allow you to easily upgrade from messaging to a voice conversation with group members, without calling every member in the group,” Meta has it. With voice chat, you can talk to specific group members without disturbing others.