Voice message etiquette for WhatsApp: This is the maximum length they should be and you should send them to these contacts

March 31, 2024 at 7:00 p.m

Voice messages divide the WhatsApp community. Not everyone likes them – especially if they are too long. A survey now reveals, among other things, the maximum length they should be.

A survey by the digital association Bitkom provides insights into the topic "Acceptance of voice messages". — A survey by the digital association Bitkom provides insights into the topic of “acceptance of voice messages”. (Source: Netzwelt)

For some time now, you have not only been able to send text, images and videos via WhatsApp, but also voice messages. This is an audio recording in which you tell the recipient about your trip or the latest s tories from your circle of friends. However, not everyone approves of this form of message. You should therefore think in advance about who you are sending a voice message to and who you are not.

One Survey commissioned by the digital association Bitkom among 773 smartphone users aged 16 and over provides starting points for the decision. Age, among other things, plays a role in the acceptance of voice messages. This form is most popular with younger WhatsApp users between 16 and 29 years old. According to the survey, 53 percent like to receive voice messages. Among 30 to 49 year olds it is only 46 percent. Acceptance continues to decline.

Age, length and desired response time are crucial

Another criterion may be how quickly you want a response to your message. Because 44 percent said in the survey that they usually respond to voice messages later than to text messages. This may be due to the fact that you don’t have the time to listen to the message in between. Which brings us to the last criterion: length.

According to Bitkom, a total of 75 percent said that long voice messages annoy them because they cannot remember all the information they contain. According to the study, 1.5 minutes is considered the perfect length for a voice message. If you don’t have enough time to put your topic into words, you might be better off calling or asking for a meeting.

By the way: WhatsApp is working on a function that will summarize text messages in writing if desired. According to the survey, only 30 percent would like such a feature.

While Messenger sets an upper limit of 60 seconds for video instant messages, there is no such limit for voice messages. Guess how long the longest voice message in Bavaria is.