Instagram users can now record a short voice message that appears in the Instagram chat in audio format, much like WhatsApp and Voxer can do. These messages can be as long as a minute, and stay permanently in the chat, unlike on iOS and Android private and group chats.

Instagram announced the new feature on its official Twitter account with a post that read, “Starting today, you can send voice messages in Direct. Talk the way you want to be heard, whether by whispering what you’re up to or shouting a compliment.”

Starting today, you can send voice messages in Direct. Talk the way you want to be heard, whether by whispering what you’re up to or shouting a compliment. pic.twitter.com/3rkdQneNXO

— Instagram (@instagram) December 10, 2018

Users now have a no-video alternative to posting stories with video or video chat messages, though it will now have to compete with not only its parent company Facebook’s Messenger feature or sister company WhatsApp, but also Viber, Zello and Telegram, according to Techcrunch.

The article also noted that this could be very useful in appealing to a certain demographic such as ride-hailing app-based drivers, or anyone behind the wheel of a vehicle, as they can send messages without needing to type, though driving one-handed is illegal.

For other demographics such as those without the usual keyboard-compatible languages, countries where English is not the main language, people can communicate more easily by recording voice messages instead.

Read also: WhatsApp rolls out new group chat features

Reportedly, Facebook has been interested in voice messaging for a long time, from its first VoIP features launched in 2013, to the Aloha system that works in tandem with their Portal video chat screen, but only this year has the company been taking its expansion into the voice messaging market publicly. (acr/mut)