WhatsApp, the widely popular chat app, introduced a recent feature allowing users to send short video messages, in the same way used for sending voice messages. Presently, these video messages have a 60-second duration limit.
To switch between voice and video messages, double-tap the voice/video message button which will be read by your screen reader according to what type of message it is currently recording.
To send a video message, long-press the button when it is set to “video message.” When you lift your finger, the video will be sent automatically. Like with voice messages, swiping up then lifting your finger will lock the recording. After locking, options to send or discard the message will appear, including a flip camera button that toggles between the front and back camera during the recording. Please note that the screen reader does not provide feedback when the camera is switched. Additionally, there’s a stop button that, when pressed, reveals the “play video” option for previewing before sending or discarding.
How to Disable the Option to Switch to Video Messages and Use Voice Messages Only
To disable the switching between video and voice messages:
- Open WhatsApp.
- Access “More Options,” found at the top-right.
- Choose “Settings.”
- Activate “Chats.”
- Toggle “Instant Video Messages” from “on” to “off.” You can double-tap the “Instant Video Message” to switch it without using the on/off switch next to it.
To re-enable this feature later, simply toggle it back to the “on” state.
This doesn’t work for Android users and I hate video note, as every time I zoom in on my camera, it slides along to video note.
Please can someone help me disable this option.
Hi, WhatsApp has removed the ability to disable video message recording, and the method to record video messages no longer uses the voice message button. Instead, it now requires either long-pressing the camera button or double-tapping the camera button and selecting the video note tab. As far as I know, you cannot disable video recording entirely unless you revoke the camera permission.