What's Up Next For WhatsApp Messenger? A New Push-To-Talk Messaging Feature

Hear ye, hear ye! WhatsApp Messenger is set to be updated with a significant new feature. According to AllThingsD, a new update to WhatsApp is scheduled to go live today. And the update marks the arrival of push-to-talk messaging to the hugely popular cross-platform messaging app. To be sure, push-to-talk messaging has long been available in some of WhatsApp's competitors, including Voxer and WeChat. But WhatsApp CEO and cofounder Jan Koum argues that WhatsApp's implementation is remarkably simple. AllThingsD notes:

With the updated WhatsApp, a user pushes to record a message rather than type one. When she lets go, the message sends. If she decides not to send, she swipes to the left and the recording is deleted. All that is built into a single tap. “The number of taps matters. People want to send a message and be on their way,” Koum said. Other features: There’s no length limit for the time spent recording, and the volume automatically switches from speaker when held at arm’s length to soft when held next to an ear. There’s also a blue microphone illustration that indicates when a message has been played. “It’s very reassuring to know that someone else has heard your message,” Koum said.

Of course, we'll be sure to let you know once WhatsApp's push-to-talk messaging update goes live on iOS. Optimized for iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 4.3 or later, WhatsApp Messenger is available in the App Store for free. The app used to go for $0.99, but it was transitioned into a freemium subscription-based model just three weeks ago. At the same time, it was updated to support sending multiple photos at a time, iCloud compatibility for chat history backup, and custom URLs for inter-app operability. For other news regarding iOS messaging apps, check out Finally, Facebook Messenger Now Lets You Send Photos From Any Of Your Albums, Create A Spark And Show Your Flair With The Newly Updated Lango Messaging App, and Tencent’s WeChat Updated To Version 5.0 With New Sticker Shop And Other Features.