To hate WhatsApp voice notes?

Omg all you £%@#£s 😡😡😡 who think oh but don't you love me enough to listen to my voice!!! (pathetic anyway)

Maybe I do... maybe I don't

But I'd rather a two way conversation or a text.

(Or do you not love me enough to listen to my voice???)

Yep but in an actual phone conversation the person doesn’t monologue at you for however long, needing you to remember to reply about their auntie Susan, the kids swimming lesson, and the dog’s new tricks! In a phone call they tell you about Auntie Susan, you respond about Auntie Susan. Sometimes you ask questions or offer input amidst the story of Aunt Susan. I would feel so rude with a voice note forgetting to say “Hope Aunt Susan’s issue gets better”. With text messages the info all comes in one go but you can scroll back to make sure you didn’t miss anything!

I agree. If the person cannot actually send texts, then it’s understandable and acceptable.

Otherwise, agreed - I hate them too. If it’s something quick (most of the time - there’s exceptions) and is a voice note for a specific reason (person is hands free, felt it would come across better verbally but we can’t talk on the phone etc) then I don’t mind SO much, because I understand, but I’d rather they were not voice notes.

I especially do not like them if I have been ambushed by them. That is, a sudden random voice note with no context, not a reply to something I’ve asked/said, and was unexpected from no where!

I can’t listen to it privately unless I’m alone - that is, anyone in the vicinity will also be party to whatever message I am receiving. I don’t know what it’s going to contain so I don’t know if it’s going to be appropriate to be overheard by work colleagues, strangers, family members etc. I can’t just take it in at my own pace or absorb the information the same way I would if it were text that I could see, so I often have to re-listen for bits I’ve missed, and as for replying …. I can’t reply and listen at the same time, so I have to keep relistening to the thing - or make notes - to make sure I have answered/responded to all of their points.

I have a friend who will send them occasionally but it’ll be along the lines of “sorry just got your message but can’t text at the moment and wanted you to know I’m not ignoring you/wanted you to know I’ll be there at 2pm etc” - that kind of thing, I understand the reason behind these, so hate them less, though do still worry what I’m going to he playing out loud!

Also, I said there’s exceptions to the shorter notes because why do people send a note to say “do you want to meet up on Saturday”, for example? That’s not urgent to send, they can send it later as a message. If it was urgent then don’t send me a voice note because if its unexpected I’ll not be listening to it until I’m somewhere private and mentally prepared for listening to a voice note!

I think you have unlocked in me just how much I dislike being sent voice notes!!!

i use them and dont mind tbem in the right context I guess. I do t get to see my best friend that often so we send it other very long voice notes as we tend to fill each other in more when we do voice notes then just text. Its like having a phone call and an actual conversation rather then just quick texts of “how are you?” “Yep all good”
we leave each other a voice note and their is no pressure when to reply. Sometimes it might take a week sometimes less. I generally listen on my way to/from work and then reply when I’m waiting in the car on the school run. If anything was urgent I would send a text.
not sure I would send any voice notes in a group chat though!

I also have a relative with Parkinsonism, voice notes are a lot easier for them as they dont have to type.

My phone is always on silent, I’ve never got headphones in and I despise people who use speaker phone in public (and listen to music, podcasts etc without headphones!) so the chances of me listening to a voice note are minimal! Fortunately not many people send them to me and for those that do, I transcribe 🤣
I did encounter a new layer of voice note hell recently when I got sent one on LinkedIn…

Just put them on speed 2x and listen to what the person you care about has to say?

Hate them. A lot of my work colleagues send them. So they may include confidential information, which means I need to be alone to listen and there will be the inevitable 20 second run up while they knuckle down to what the frigging message is actually about, in which time I could have read all my messages if they were in text. Plus I’m going to get 4 different ones about different situations in the average morning, and I’m not good at remembering all the finer details, and the situations may have common details (like, we may have 2 patients aged 68 living in the same town, or two with the same initials) so I’m going to have to find time to listen to them all repeatedly. And my car hands free doesn’t play them so I can’t listen while driving. ALL SO SLOW AND SUCH A WASTE OF TIME. Speech to text exists if you really can’t be arsed to type.

I was in a train once where a woman was I think sending voice notes to a friend. So every couple of minutes she would lift up her phone and burble another chunk of self-obsessed nonsense to her poor friend, who I hope was deleting them all.

Agree, it’s always those who love the sound of their own voice and ramble on about themselves for minutes at a time!

I love them. I love hearing my friends’ voices and they are usually leaving me a note to tell me a funny story which is much better in the listening than reading. I don’t leave them but I love getting them.

I used to dislike them, but, a friend who I don't see often sends me them, and I love hearing her voice, and listening to what she's been up to...admittedly it takes me longer to get the time to set aside to listen, but I still love receiving them from her - am a convert!

As an adult that was born with a hearing loss that all my friends and family know about... Don't send me a sodding voice note....

Drives me up the wall, I have no chance of understanding it. Want to converse with me then do me the kindness of communicating in a style that puts us on an even footing.

I hate them (and have "Please don't send me voice notes" as my status). I wish it was possible to change settings so they can't be sent to me.

But I do like calling someone for a chat - if it isn't convenient then they don't have to answer. A (text) message to say "Tried calling but nothing urgent - just checking in" is easier for the person I was calling than a voicemail.

All my friends use voice notes and we love them. I can’t believe that people would hate them so passionately😂. I wonder if it’s a generational thing.
If I don’t have time to listen I’ll just send a quick will listen later message
don’t understand how it can be entitled or rude and I don’t believe that anyone is so busy that they can’t listen to a voice note for a few minutes

Anything and everything! It's brilliant, we properly get into deep chats but with convenience, it works well with a few friends that are too busy to meet up often.

Some friends hate voicenotes so we just message or catch up over coffee.

So totally depends on person/relationship!

I'm so glad when a friend sends a long one - I happily listen while working/washing up/ironing.

It feels like I have company 😀

You’re not alone. Anything over 30 seconds and I’m out. Texts were invented for a reason!

I hate them, im busy so have got just enough time to glance at a message. I dont want to listen to them when people are around, in the office, or while im busy doing other stuff.

I have one friend who uses them, but she knows she'll have to wait days for a response.

An ex work collegue used to use them on the work group but i just completely ignored them.

My friend sends 3 or 4 minute long voice notes, I can never remember everything she's said so I have to reply to it but by bit 😅🤦‍♀️ so I get 1 very long voice note off her and she gets 10+ short voice notes off me.

I have one friend who sends lengthy VMs but she doesn’t expect an instant reply. It’s ok because we know each other well.

I despise them, and on me a sent too. They fill me with anxiety. I wish there was a way to disable them.

I really hate them. If they mention more than one thing, I've forgotten the beginning by the time I've got to the end. I also hate being recorded, so I have to reply with a written message anyway.

Follow the instructions here 😊
https://faq.whatsapp.com/241617298315321/?cms_platform=iphone

I love a voice note but not a chance would I listen to 4 minute long one.

OMG MY PEOPLE.

In general I agree, it’s like people don’t know that voice to text is a thing!! Just dictate! I can read far quicker than you can talk, and far more frequently (ie, in public!).

If you voice note me, you’re gonna have to wait hours for a reply, which is annoying as I want to hear your thoughts on things! So much harder to get the flow of conversation going when you have to wait for a good time to respond. And I have to listen to voice notes multiple times to make sure I’ve responded to everything, instead of quickly scanning back through text 😄

It’s worst when you’ve texted something asking a specific question and they reply with a voice note!

I do voice note my best friend as a lot of the time we have to convey tone of voice/funny voices etc but one conversation can take days.