WhatsApp will soon improve its voice messaging functionality in a move that could see users finally given the ability to pause voice messages while recording – though we're still unsure when exactly that could be. Earlier in the year, WhatsApp took aim at one of the app's biggest annoyances by adding multi-support across devices on iOS and Android. It's now shifting its sights to tackle the app's built-in voice messaging.
Currently, WhatsApp doesn't let users pause and record voice messages without having to start afresh every time they need a break. Recording a voice message in a single attempt is the only option currently available to WhatsApp's users: there isn't a way to pause and then resume your message, which I can guarantee gets pretty annoying if you're recording is interrupted or you get distracted.
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First spotted by WABetainfo, the messaging app is working on a pause feature, which will let you pause and resume recording without having to redo the voice message every time. Though it appears to be under active development and not currently available for beta testers yet, the reliable blog was able to preview it – and it looks to be a gamechanger.
The demo video, shared by the website, shows how the feature could work in practice should it get released. In the video, you can press play/pause and start/stop a voice message as you record it. These are all novel features that have otherwise been lacking from WhatsApp's Voice Messages, leading to a frustrating tussle between you and the app, where you try and nail but usually fail to record your voice note in one go.
Pause it
A stable version of the feature hopefully won't stray too far from the demo video if it does eventually receive a wider rollout. That wider rollout is tipped for a future update of WhatsApp beta for iOS and WhatsApp beta for Android, according to WABetainfo, though it remains unclear when exactly that could be.
WhatsApp is increasingly in sync with what its users' dislikes of the platform are, always looking to deliver fresh new updates that improve the user experience. I, for one, am always having to restart and re-record my voice notes, so news of this latest possible update is very much a welcome improvement that should save some time and energy in the process.
