People on the web can communicate using text. On top of that, they can add images and videos. Twitter wants more that just that.
With more and more people are using the web, or social media in particular, for communication, there needs to be more ways where the flow of information can be made even more personal.
And Twitter thinks that it can do that by allowing users to use their voice in DMs.
Starting in India, Brazil and Japan, users can start sending voice DMs to anyone, with a 140 seconds limit.
The feature that is rolling out to Twitter users on both iOS and Android, also allows users to listen to voice DMs on the web.
This feature is an addition to the voice tweeting feature Twitter introduced back in June 2020.
test,test: Starting today, you'll be able to record and send voice messages in DMs Here’s how
PS. The experiment will be rolled out in phases. pic.twitter.com/aqQM6h9sof— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) February 17, 2021
Twitter's plans for voice DMs were first announced in 2020. last year.
And after its official "test", Twitter India’s managing director, Manish Maheshwari, said that voice messages are designed to “give people a new way to express themselves and help them connect through the nuances, emotion, and empathy built by hearing someone’s voice.”
To use this feature, users can start recording their voice DM using a small icon to the right of the message box.
After that, users have an option to review their voice message before finally sending it.
Initially, there is no way for users to send voice DMs through the web.
Twitter has traditionally been a text-based platform. But knowing that the web and all of its glory shouldn't be restricted to just a few methods of communications, the voice DM feature is a step towards a more flexible Twitter.
While Twitter is stepping up its game, there is no saying how many users will actually use this feature, considering that other services like WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram DMs and other messaging apps have popularized this voice chatting feature for a long time.