WhatsApp is a massively popular texting app that's available via Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian. The app allows users to send text messages via WiFi only, which makes the app really useful when it comes to traveling (no roaming charges).

This app has already reached 300 million active users, and now WhatsApp includes voice messaging. Technically, WhatsApp already had a voice messaging feature, but the new update includes a notification when a message has actually been heard.

The New Voice Feature

If you choose to send a voice recording along with a text using WhatsApp, you will see a small notification next to the message you have sent when the recording has been heard - kind of like the double checks that show up when someone has read a text you sent.

You can also respond to any voice text using video, text, voice, or photos. The many different options is one of the reasons why WhatsApp is so popular. Other reasons include the fact that the app is easy to use, and it saves users a lot of money when trying to avoid roaming text fees. There's no doubt about it, WhatsApp is a fast growing company that's gaining more and more users by the day.

WhatsApp User Count

According to The Verge, WhatsApp users send around 27 billion texts per day. That's a lot of text messages. When you consider that WhatsApp isn't free on all platforms, too, this app is really catching on. Is it catching on so much that it might be sold to another company or absorbed by a bigger company? Possibly, but that's not in the company's immediate future (there's no word from WhatsApp on a sale, at least).

If you're thinking: wait a minute, WhatsApp has always had voice messaging! You aren't wrong, but the new feature is more of a push-to-talk feature that acts like a walkie-talkie instead of an actual voice recording feature. If you haven't tested out WhatsApp yet, you might want to jump on this bandwagon. At the very least, you will save a few bucks when it comes to roaming because this app only works via WiFi.

Testing Out the New Voice Feature

To use the new voice messaging feature, click on the WhatsApp icon on your device. Choose a person to send a text to, and then click on the small microphone icon that's next to the text space. Hold the microphone icon down in order to record a message, and press 'send' to send that message to a selected recipient.

Why would you want to send a voice message instead of a text? There are many reasons, but the best reason would be to say something really funny like: "whhhhaaaaaattttt??!"

Or, you could go the sentimental route while you are away from your love, and send a quick voice "I love you!" before you crash for the night. If you have kids, letting your child say goodnight to your spouse is another great reason to use voice messaging. The sky's the limit, and now WhatsApp makes it all so very easy.