Facebook’s parent Meta platforms has rolled out a series of new features on its messaging apps WhatsApp and Messenger to make the app experience better for its users.

WhatsApp, which is currently the world’s most popular instant messaging app, is aiming to make its voice message experience better for users through a range of new features and improvements.

Users are sending an average of seven billion voice messages daily on the app, the company said, with the format becoming a preferred form of communication on the app in many situations since it allows people to “have more expressive conversations”, Reuters reported.

“Showing emotion or excitement through voice is more natural than text. It’s simple for anyone to use – for your family members who prefer to avoid typing, for your friends who love to tell stories, for your peers who need encouraging words, or for when you want to hear your partner’s voice at the end of a long day,” the company said in a blogpost.

Voice messaging, which was introduced on WhatsApp in 2013, will especially be key to its increased adoption in emerging markets such as India, where people tend to rely on voice-over typing text.

Among the new features announced on March 30, the most noteworthy one is out of chat playback which lets users listen to a voice message outside the chat window, enabling them to multitask or read and respond to other messages.