It was arguably the next logical step for the app. Instagram finally has voice messages , a feature that has begun its global rollout and could arrive on your phone at any moment. Here's how to use it.
Voice messages on Instagram
TechCrunch broke the news. Four months ago, this same American outlet reported that this feature was coming, and now we can indeed announce its debut on the platform. According to them, the update to add this functionality to Instagram has already begun and is being rolled out globally, so it should be available in your app store soon for the next app update.
To help you prepare when that happens, we'll tell you everything we know about the feature. Voice messages will be enabled and accessible through Direct Messages . To use them, simply press and hold the microphone icon —you'll find screenshots below to give you an idea—which will activate the recording so you can speak. These voice messages have a time limit (maximum of 1 minute) and will always remain available in the conversation (they don't disappear or expire after a while or after being viewed).
Available in both private one-on-one and group chats, the update is ready for the Instagram app on both iOS and Android devices . Remember that until now, the only way to send audio via Direct Message to your contact was through a video call or a video recording, but of course, both of those methods, as the name suggests, require you to capture an image.
Just two weeks ago, Instagram delighted us with the new " Close Friends " feature, and now it offers the ability to record audio. It's clear the platform is making a significant effort to improve its features as the year draws to a close, placing particular emphasis on private content . With "Close Friends," it already gave us the ability to filter our Stories to decide who sees certain stories, and now it's strengthening its private communication tools again to encourage and facilitate chatting through the app, whether with a specific person or a chosen group.
We will see what will be next. Do you have any special requests for Instagram?