A few months ago we learned that WhatsApp was going to include the function to speed up the voice messages that we send and receive through the app. The function was first released by Telegram, which allows you to adjust between 1X and 2X the speed of the content. Now, WhatsApp has not only copied it, but has also improved it.
Telegram has been allowing us to change the speed of voice or video messages that we receive in the mobile app or in its desktop version for some time. Now, it is WhatsApp that has implemented the function in its latest version 2.21.9.3 on Android , launched today, and that you can now install on your mobile if you are part of the beta channel. In the event that you use the stable version of the app, then you will have to wait for the improvement in the stable version to be released in the coming weeks or months.
1x, 1.5x and 2x: the speeds of WhatsApp audios
To be able to use it, we only have to send or receive an audio. By clicking on play, we will get the speed at which we want to play it on the left. We can choose between 1x, 1.5x or 2x, unlike Telegram that only allows you to play it at twice the speed.
This difference is very important, since playing an audio at twice its speed can sometimes make it difficult for us to understand what the other person is saying, especially if they already speak very fast by default. With 1.5x we have more versatility and the option to speed it up, but without affecting the interlocutor’s intelligibility.
Audios cannot be heard outside of conversations
The audio acceleration works the same as in Telegram, with a sound that is not affected in terms of quality, and with the advantage of hearing it at a higher speed. In addition, the way to implement it is perhaps more comfortable than Telegram, since it allows you to adjust the speed directly in the same audio. The speed setting we choose will be saved for future audios.
Until now, there were tricks to speed up messages, such as going to the folder where WhatsApp audios are saved and opening them with a player. With this, it is now much more comfortable.
However, WhatsApp voice messages still do not have a basic function: to be able to continue listening to them from other conversations or if we minimize the application. Telegram does allow both functions, where accelerated audio continues to be played even when minimizing the application. Therefore, WhatsApp still has a long way to improve, while Telegram should also consider including the possibility of changing the playback speed to 1.5x. In the past, WhatsApp also copied from Telegram to send audios without holding down the button.
