WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new artificial intelligence (AI) feature. The new feature is supposed to allow users to have hands-free voice conversations with Meta AI, an AI chatbot integrated into the app. Previously, a report claimed that WhatsApp was working on allowing users to send voice notes to Meta AI, which would enable one-way verbal communication, but new information now claims that the AI chatbot will also respond verbally. A voice mode feature could also arrive with multiple voice options to choose from, although the differences between them are unknown.
According to a post on WABetaInfo, a WhatsApp feature tracker, the Meta AI voice mode feature was spotted in the WhatsApp beta version 2.24.17.16 for Android. A separate post revealed the same feature in the WhatsApp beta version 24.16.10.70 for iOS.
Meta AI Voice Mode Feature
Photo source: WABetaInfo
The feature is not currently visible in the beta version of the app, likely because the company is still working on it. As a result, those who have signed up for the Google Play Beta program will not be able to test out the Meta AI voice mode.
According to screenshots shared by the feature tracker, a new voice icon represented by an audio waveform can be seen next to the text field in Meta AI chat. Tapping on it appears to open a bottom page with the words Meta AI written on top. In the middle, you can see a circular shape made of multiple bubbles. At the bottom, you can see the text “Hi, how can I help you” with an expanded audio waveform icon suggesting that the AI is listening.
Additionally, more screenshots reveal that the Meta AI voice mode could have up to 10 different voices to choose from. It’s unclear what the differences between the voices would be, but they could have different accents, energy levels, or tones. It’s unlikely that the voices will support multiple languages.
In addition to this, you can also see the option to enable subtitles and transcription via text-to-speech. This feature likely documents the entire verbal conversation and types it as text for the user to refer to later. There is no word on when this feature will be made available to the public.
