Voice messages are a very fast and effective way to communicate on WhatsApp, especially when we don't have time to type very long texts. The only problem for the receiver is that they can't use other apps while the audio note is playing. This is what WhatsApp is ready to change with its new global audio player feature.
The idea behind the global audio player feature is simple which is to allow users to listen to audio notes in the background. This way, they will be able to switch to another chat or minimize the WhatsApp window and switch to some other application or even lock their phone.
This new capability was first spotted in beta testing for iOS devices last month. And now, WABetaInfo has seen the same on the desktop version.
Later there will be a small bar under the chat column indicating the audio message is playing. In the bar we can see the progress of how far the message is playing and can also play and pause.
"When we play the voice note and switch to another conversation, WhatsApp doesn't stop playing the voice note and a new audio player bar appears at the bottom of your chat list," said WABetaInfo.
"Thanks to this bar, we have control over the voice note by using the playback button and the progress bar indicator to help us understand when the voice note ends," he added.
This feature is currently rolling out in beta and will appear in the desktop app soon. To try the global audio player, users must update the WhatsApp beta application for desktop version 2.2204.5.