What feature did WhatsApp add in August 2013 for short audio recordings in chats?

In August 2013, WhatsApp added voice messages for short audio recordings in chats. The company announced the feature on August 7, describing it as a way to hear a friend or family member’s voice instead of typing a text.

Voice messages were released across WhatsApp’s supported platforms at the same time, including iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows Phone. Users could record an audio clip directly in a conversation and send it as a chat message, making the feature useful when typing was inconvenient.

This feature is sometimes confused with WhatsApp’s later voice calling service. Voice messages are recorded clips that recipients can play when convenient; voice calls are live conversations. WhatsApp introduced voice calling in 2015, two years after voice messaging.

The original feature was simpler than today’s audio tools. Later updates added conveniences such as playback outside the chat, waveform displays, faster playback speeds, and the ability to pause and resume recordings. The underlying idea, however, remained the same: quick spoken messages inside text chats.