You may soon be able to send voice messages to Meta AI on WhatsApp

WhatsApp for Android is reportedly testing a new feature for its recently added artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, Meta AI. According to a feature tracker, the feature will allow users to send voice messages to the chatbot. Meta AI will also supposedly be able to respond to messages, albeit in text format. The feature is reportedly rolling out to a small group of beta testers who can use it. WhatsApp may roll it out to a larger user base in the coming weeks.

According to a after According to WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo, the voice messages feature for Meta AI was spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.24.16.10. Following the rollout, those who have enrolled in the Google Play Beta program will be able to tap the Meta AI button to access the chat interface and see a new voice message icon.

WhatsApp will soon be able to let users send voice messages to Meta AI
Photo credit: WABetaInfo

This icon looks similar to the one you see in other chats and groups, and is located next to the text field at the bottom. According to the feature tracker, it allows users to send voice messages to Meta AI. The AI ​​can process the audio and understand the query. It then generates the answer in text. Gadgets 360 staff was unable to verify its availability on WhatsApp for Android beta.

The feature could be useful in situations where the user can’t type a long query but still needs the information. Especially users who are always on the go might find the speculated feature useful. Interestingly, Meta AI has always been multimodal and able to generate images, but it hasn’t added audio generation or processing until now. This update could finally change that.

Separately, WhatsApp for Android is reportedly testing a way to quickly reply to messages by double-tapping them. The feature will reportedly add a heart emoji by default once a message has been double-tapped by a user. Notably, Instagram and Facebook already support the feature. The feature is currently in beta, with no public release date announced.