The popular WhatsApp messenger, owned by Meta, is preparing an update for Android users. According to information from renowned WhatsApp feature tracker, the platform is working on introducing a voice mode for its built-in Meta AI artificial intelligence. This new feature will allow users to have a full conversation with the virtual assistant.
Meta AI voice mode interface has been spotted in WhatsApp Android 2.24.18.18 beta. However, the feature is not yet available even to Google beta program participants. According to the published screenshots, there will be two ways to activate the voice mode: by long pressing the Meta AI button above the “New Chat” icon or by clicking on the sound wave icon next to the text input field in a chat with Meta AI.
The voice mode interface, judging by the screenshots, will include a bottom panel with the name “Meta AI” and a round icon symbolizing voice activation. The panel also contains buttons for volume control, mute and ending voice mode.
It was previously reported that users will have access to ten different voices to communicate with AI. Although the exact differences between the voices are unknown, it is speculated that they may differ in accent, pitch, and gender. There is no information yet about multi-language support.
It’s worth noting that similar two-way voice communication features with AI are already present in ChatGPT (OpenAI) and Gemini (Google), but are only available to paid subscribers. If WhatsApp does release this feature, the company could be the first to offer such a feature for free.
This new development continues the trend of integrating advanced AI technologies into popular messaging apps, giving users more intuitive and convenient ways to interact with virtual assistants.
