If you are someone who likes to send a ton of voice notes on WhatsApp, there's a new widget in town for you. WhatsApp is now getting a home screen widget on Android phones, which lets users instantly record and send voice messages without opening the app or jumping into a conversation first.
WhatsApp Rolls Out Home Screen Voice Widget on Android
The feature was spotted by WABetaInfo in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.26.30.2 version, now available via the Google Play Store. According to the report, some users on the latest beta version can now add the dedicated voice note widget to their home screen.
The new home screen voice widget comes in a compact 3 x 1 size by default. Users will need to long-press on the home screen, head over to the widget picker and select the new widget to add to their home screen. It is not automatically added by default.
When tapped, the widget opens a dedicated voice recording screen with intuitive controls to start, pause, or discard a voice note. Once the recording is ready, users can choose one or multiple recipients to send it to, allowing them to share the same voice message with multiple contacts simultaneously.
To help users discover the new home screen voice widget, WhatsApp has added a built-in prompt within chats. After recording a voice message inside a conversation, WhatsApp will notify the user within the chat that a home screen widget is available for faster voice note recording.
This is in line with Meta's latest push to encourage more voice and video interactions on WhatsApp. From WhatsApp Web getting voice and video calling to new microphone modes in WhatsApp for iOS, there have been many voice-specific additions to the platform lately.
That said, as mentioned before, the new WhatsApp home screen voice widget is rolling out to limited Android beta testers. It is expected to see a wider release in the coming days, with a possible public rollout in a few weeks. So, stay tuned.
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