Today, WhatsApp is one of the most popular means of communications on almost any smartphone irrespective of operating system.
Ever since its inception, the app has undergone a gamut of changes to give people the maximum possible benefits. Some of these noteworthy features include formatted text, document sharing and voice calls to mention just a few. The latest feather in the cap from this wonderful app for Android and iOS lovers is the recent voicemail functionality.Although there have been rumors for long about such a feature in the pipeline, it is only now that this functionality has become official. Android users can take advantage of this if they are using version 2.16.229 of the app, while iOS fans have to make sure that they have the version 2.16.8 up and running on their handsets.
Earlier when you ended up with an unanswered or rejected call, you had no option but to leave a text message to get your note across. However, things have now become simpler and you can get your voicemail across following a few simple steps. While you are making a call, the new feature will present itself in the calling screen so that you can send the voicemail soon after the calling trial ends without success. Before this functionality came into existence, an unanswered call would redirect to you the chat window of the person whom you were trying to talk to. In the updated version, when your call gets declined, you are presented with three options on the same screen. These are Cancel, Call Again and Voice Message.
Steps to Get Across Your Voicemail
In the screen that presents the above three options, the first and second options are self explanatory. While Cancel brings you back to the chat window of the contact, pressing Call Again will allow you to make the same call a second time. To send a voicemail, you need to make use of the third feature Voice Message.
Just tap lightly on the Voice Message option and you are instructed to continue holding your finger down on this option and record your message. You can do this by just speaking what you have to say like in a face to face conversation. This is just like what you do to send a voice message from your chat window.
When you are done, release your finger and your voicemail will automatically be sent to the concerned person. This will appear in the person’s chat window as a recorded voice note similar to how you send a voice message from the chat window. In other words, with the voicemail functionality, you can minimize one or two steps involved in sending a voice message.
The good news for first time voicemail senders (and occasionally helps for pros too) is that there is no panic if you feel you have messed up with what you have recorded. You can stop yourself from sending an irrelevant or incorrect message by simply moving your finger towards the left before you release it. The message will not get sent and you need not be apprehensive about what will happen on sending an incorrect message. This feature can also be helpful if you record a message and then decide not to send it for some reason.
The inclusion of this new feature by WhatsApp has many advantages. One of them as stated above is that it saves time by eliminating a few taps. The second and a key advantage is the fact that it is quite useful when you are always on the move or during instances such as when you are driving. The only flip side as of now regarding voicemail is that you cannot listen to your recorded message before you send it across irrespective of whether you are using an Android or an iOS based device.
At this point, it is worth noting that WhatsApp is at present also involved in testing yet another feature to send video oriented voice calls using its service.
To take advantage of this exciting feature, update your existing WhatsApp version to the appropriate version mentioned above. Or if you are a first time user (which is not very likely to be the case), head straight to the app store and download this wonderful app for free. As the app uses Voice Over Internet Protocol for call support, these calls are definitely way cheaper than normal calls.