Like its competitors, WhatsApp has been testing a new function for a few weeks to change the speed of reading voice messages. Very useful, especially when it comes to finding important information without having to listen to a vocal note in its entirety..
Increase the reading speed of voice notes
WhatsApp is a heavyweight in the instant messaging industry. In addition to its text message service, the platform has a voice memo system that makes it easier to communicate with contacts.
But now, this mode of communication is proving to be very time-consuming. Indeed, some people speak faster than others. And then like in real life, talkative people tend to tell their stories rather than going to the point. This is even more true among the followers of vocal notes..
We quickly find ourselves having to manage dozens of voice messages per day. This situation can be particularly frustrating, especially when you have to remember important information in a totally inaudible vocal note.
WhatsApp seems to have realized this inconvenience. Thus, instant messaging offers an option to vary the speed of reading voice messages on the beta version of its application..
This device offers the advantage of faster access to the information that interests you and thus saves time. As of this writing, the new feature has three different read speeds.
- 1x speed is the default read speed
- 1.5x reads your messages 1.5 times faster than normal speed
- 2x which, as its name suggests, allows you to browse long voice messages twice as fast
This feature has been around for several years on YouTube. Many use it to watch time lapse videos. This practice even has a name. We call it speed watching. WhatsApp has simply adapted this concept to its voicemail system.
How to use WhatsApp's new reading options
As explained previously, this new feature is currently reserved for the beta version of the WhatsApp application. However, it should not be long in arriving on the final version.
If you are lucky enough to be part of the beta group, below is how you can change the playback speed of your audio messages. For others, rest assured nothing is lost. There is a trick to achieve the same result.
- Launch the WhatsApp application on your smartphone
- Select the chat where the voice note you want to listen to is located
- Click on the 1x button to the right of the scroll bar
- Choose the playback speed of your choice from the list (1.5x fast forward or 2x very fast forward)
This function allows you to browse long voice messages very quickly. This is very useful when you have to listen to a very long audio note. Only regret, it is not possible to slow down the reading speed in order to follow the dialogue as well as possible.