In concrete terms, the user holds down a button to speak, just like on a real walkie-talkie. The message is then heard live by the members connected at that moment. Simply release the button to listen to the others. No history is kept, no recording is stored in the discussion thread. And above all, no calls interrupt everyone: only those who choose to join the voice session participate.
WhatsApp thinks it's a walkie-talkie
To activate this function, swipe up from a group's message bar, then tap the circular button in the center of the screen. An animation appears, indicating that the voice session is in progress. The user can also send a raised hand emoji to signal to other members that the channel is active.
With Walkie-Talkie mode, WhatsApp aims to fill the gap between group calls (often considered too intrusive) and voice notes (often too long or invasive). The feature is suitable for all kinds of situations: organizing an outing with friends, coordinating an event, distributing tasks within a team, or simply exchanging on the fly without overloading the conversation.
For professionals, particularly VSEs or mobile teams, this also allows them to transmit instructions without interrupting the work flow. In a personal setting, it's a fairly effective way to improvise a voice exchange without intrusively soliciting everyone.
Among the advantages highlighted are speed of use, low data consumption, and greater discretion. No one is obliged to participate, and nothing appears in the group history once the session is over. Once the conversation is over, everything disappears.
On the technical side, WhatsApp specifies that the feature is light on data and battery, since it relies on short audio exchanges broadcast only to the users present. Be careful, however: for the mode to be active in a group, all participants must have a recent version of the application. Without this, the function may remain inaccessible.
Inspired by CB radios or old walkie-talkies, this mode recalls a more direct, more lively, and almost… nostalgic communication! Far from the long audio notes left in bursts or group calls that are always annoying, this system will certainly find its use in quick exchanges where writing is less practical.
This new feature adds to other functions that have recently appeared in WhatsApp: the creation of favorite contact lists, private reactions to statuses or even the direct addition of contacts from the application.
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