Google is now bringing Audio Emoji to its first-party phone app. You could associate emoticons with text messages because it makes texting fun. Emoticons are a great way to express your feelings while chatting with your near and dear ones. However, Audio Emoji is something very different.
Google released Audio Emoji with the latest update to the phone app in the beta channel, version 128. The company could make the feature available to every user in a few weeks. At the end of February this year, it was reported that Google was working on a similar feature, but it had a different name – Audiomojis.
What is the Audio Emoticons feature in the Google Phone app?
Audio emoticons are simply standard sound effects included in one of the six emoticons. It includes clapping (Applause), laughing, partying, crying (Trombone), pooping and stinging (Ba Dum Tss). Google explains the audio emoji feature in the Phone app’s settings, mentioning “Express emotions and moods with sounds like applause, laughter, sad trombone and more using touch emojis during a conversation.”
When the caller chooses one of the six audio emoticons, the Phone app will play a fun animation in the main calling interface, followed by a playback sound effect for a few seconds. It is worth noting that both sides of the call can hear the sound effects.
There are currently two different options for using the audio emoticons feature in the Phone app. First, there is a button in the overflow menu to access it. You can also use it using the Audio Emoji button in the main calling interface, the screen you normally see during a call.
Google hasn’t added a specific reason why there are two ways to access it. However, if you don’t want to use audio emoticons in the Phone app, there is a setting to disable it. There is also a limit to how often you can use these sound effects during a call. You will have to wait for a while and you cannot play these sound effects.
Overall, using and liking a new feature is always subjective. And the same goes for “Audio Emoji”. While there’s no reason to love or hate this feature, there doesn’t seem to be any real reason for it other than being a playful addition to the normal calling experience on Android devices. Additionally, it’s also worth noting that Google will soon be removing the bottom bar in the Phone app.
