WhatsApp is introducing a tiny change that could have a big impact – if you receive a lot of voice notes.

The popular messaging app is tipped to introduce the ability to increase the playback speed of voice notes on desktop. Meaning you can get through a lengthy voice message much faster.

A screenshot uncovered by WhatsApp blog WABetaInfo shows the feature at work in the Windows desktop beta version of the app.

While the feature has been available on iOS and Android since March, it’s not been possible on desktops yet.

This could be a lifesaver if you often get voice memos from colleagues that take ages to get to the point or a boss who’s reeling off a gigantic email you need to transcribe for them.

‘Generally, in the case you do not have this feature, you need to wait for a future update that brings the feature to more beta testers on Windows so let’s wait for at least the 2.2241.0.0 build to come on the Microsoft Store to everyone,’ explains WABetaInfo.

‘The ability to speed up voice notes is officially available after installing the latest version of WhatsApp beta for Windows from the Microsoft Store but it may also be available to some lucky beta testers on the previous update.’

In much the same way as listening to a podcast, users will be able to increase the speed to 1.5x (or even 2x) and get through a message quicker.

WhatsApp has been focusing on improving the voice message experience this year. No wonder, as every day over 7 billion of them get sent back and forth over the app.

Other useful WhatsApp voice message features

You may not be aware of it, but there are several other handy voice message features to take advantage of on WhatsApp.

The ‘Out of Chat Playback’ feature gets rid of an annoying detail for voice note users. It means you can listen to that very long voice note from your best friend even if you move out of their chat window, making it easier to multitask.

Again, this is available for iOS and Android and it means you can read and respond to other messages while still listening back to that same voice note.

You can also pause and resume a recording so if you’re interrupted there’s no need to start all over.

Finally, there’s the option to listen to your voice notes before hitting ‘send’. Something that may or may not be helpful, depending on how much you like the sound of your own voice.

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