Push to talk voice messaging comes to WhatsApp

WhatsApp is introducing a new voice messaging feature for its apps on iPhone, BlackBerry, Android, Windows Phone and Symbian. Unlike the current system, you will now have a simple ‘push to talk’ button for quickly recording voice messages.

This feature works just like Voxer: you simply hold the microphone button while you speak, and when you release te message will be sent. Sending audio clips has been a feature of WhatsApp for some time, but push to talk brings the feature to the fore.

WhatsApp has 300 million monthly users, and sends around 31 billion messages a day. It’s hugely successful despite not being as feature rich as its competition. Push to talk is a move in the right direction, but other services offer free calls, stickers and desktop versions. LINE and Viber are both growing fast, and offer more features, so WhatsApp really needs to keep developing to maintain its position with users.

[Sources: AllThingsD, The Verge]