WhatsApp is rolling out a real-time voice chat feature for Meta AI on iOS beta version 25.21.10.76. This follows a previous rollout for Android users which we previously covered. When available, users can start a voice session by tapping on the waveform icon from the Chats tab, or by default, from the Calls tab. By rolling this out, Meta AI will catch up in a significant way with other chatbots which mostly offer calls already.
The integration on iOS has a few subtle differences to Android at the operating system level. When you begin a call with Meta AI, iOS will add an orange dot in the top-right corner of the screen to indicate that the microphone is in use. This privacy feature cannot be disabled by WhatsApp, so you’ll always know when Meta is listening.
The voice chat with Meta AI can continue running in the background when you switch to other apps by tapping the collapse icon. While this is convenient, it also significantly expands the scope of Meta AI’s data collection beyond the WhatsApp application itself so users need to remind themselves not to say anything they don’t want Meta to know while the app is running in the background.
If you do not want to end the call, you can also maintain your privacy by muting the microphone. The orange indicator will also remain visible throughout to remind you that Meta is still listening.
This feature is currently available for some users and it"s rolling out to more in the coming weeks, according to WABetaInfo. If you want to try out real-time voice chats with Meta AI while it"s still in beta, you"ll have to install the latest version of WhatsApp beta for iOS from the TestFlight app.
Are you looking forward to this feature? Let us know in the comments.
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