Instagram Launches Walkie-talkie Voice Messaging

It started out as a pure photo-sharing app, but since then Instagram has — for better or worse — been adding a slew of features that have gradually taken it away from its roots.
Instagram Direct, a feature that allows you to communicate with other Instagram users, has been upgraded with the ability to send voice messages. The new addition works just like a walkie-talkie as it sends your voice message the moment you release the microphone button. This sounds similar to how you can send a voice message using other Facebook products, including Messenger and WhatsApp. Also, the new voice messaging support on Instagram reminds us the audio messaging feature available natively on Apple's iMessage.

As Instagram announced through a tweet on Tuesday, the new feature to send voice messages in Instagram Direct is rolling out globally. The feature is aimed to help you not just share your photos, small video clips, or some text with other Instagram users using Instagram Direct but also send and receive voice messages. Unlike working on a traditional voice messaging system where you need to tap the send button to send your voice message to the recipient, Instagram's update works more like a walkie-talkie and requires you to hold the record button until your message is completed. This works similar to how you can send your voice messages using Facebook's Messenger app.

"Starting today, you can send voice messages in Direct," the Instagram team tweeted. "Talk the way you want to be heard, whether by whispering what you're up to or shouting a compliment."
To send a voice message, go to the Direct section on your Instagram app and then select either one of the Instagram users or pick multiple users. After that, tap the microphone button that sits next to the camera roll button in the message bar. You need to press and hold the microphone button to record your message, and once done, you just need to release the button to send the message.

You can also swipe to the left most corner to discard your message. Notably, you can record voice messages using the new addition for up to one minute only and each of the messages you sent or received stays permanently. This is unlike the audio messaging support on iMessage that deletes voice messages after two minutes of their delivery unless a user selects the option to "keep" them. Apple also recently brought a Walkie-Talkie feature to Apple Watch through watchOS 5.

The voice messaging feature is rolling out to both Android and iOS. You can download the latest Instagram app on your device to start sending your voice messages. TechCrunch reported the development of the new feature ahead of its formal debut.

December 11, 2018