Voice messages have been a staple of WhatsApp for years. And that goes for voice calls too, just like video calls. Apparently there is exactly one building block missing in this series, namely video messages. That’s changing today – WhatsApp finally supports sending and receiving video messages. These can each be up to 60 seconds long and, as usual, are protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption.
WhatsApp deliberately based the sending of a video message on the functionality of sending a normal voice message, so that it is intuitive to use. The icon previously intended for voice messages is tapped once to enter video message mode. Then, as usual, you simply press and hold the button and record your message, just like voice messages. After releasing it will be sent. You can also swipe up to lock and record the video without having to hold down the button. This function has also been known for a long time from voice messages.
Videos are automatically played in mute when opened in a chat. If you tap once on a video during playback, the app activates the sound. The updated version with video messages is already being rolled out. “In the coming weeks” the new app should reach all WhatsApp users. Integration with Google’s Wear OS smartwatches and new backup functions also went live this month.
