A voice chat in a group is a room that is simply open. Nobody's phone rings, nobody is summoned, and people drop in and out while the conversation continues without them.
That one design decision — no ringing — is what makes it different from every conference call you have been on, and it changes how you should use it.
What you will be able to do
- check_circle Start a voice chat in a group or channel and invite people without interrupting them.
- check_circle Speak as your channel rather than as yourself.
- check_circle Share your screen or turn on video, and know what that costs everyone else.
- check_circle Run one that stays orderly with more than a handful of people in it.
The bar at the top of the group is the whole invitation — it appears for members and rings for nobody.
record_voice_over A room, not a call
When an admin starts a voice chat, a bar appears at the top of the group. Members see it when they open the group and can join or ignore it; nothing rings, nothing demands an answer, and leaving is silent too.
The consequence is that voice chats work for things a scheduled call does not: a room left open during a work session, a community conversation anyone can wander into, a co-working hour. Joining is not a commitment, so people join.
It also means nobody knows it is happening unless you tell them. If you want people there, post a message — the bar alone reaches only whoever happens to open the group.
Four rooms, run four different ways
The controls that matter change completely with the number of people in the room.
group Three or four in a working group
notifications_off Twenty or more
campaign One person speaking to many
desktop_windows Screen sharing and video
The size rule: open microphones up to about five, muted entry and a hand queue above that.
settings Starting one
- Open the group and its menu Start Voice Chat is there for admins with the right permission.
- Choose who you join as Yourself or a channel you run. Decide before you speak, not after.
- Set the room up before inviting people Mute new participants if it is going to be large.
- Post a message The bar is not an invitation anyone receives. One line in the group is.
- End it deliberately Leaving is not ending. An admin has to close the room, or it stays open with nobody in it.
This page is a room people drop into. The curriculum step is the other end of the same feature: streaming to an audience from broadcasting software, managing who is on stage, and running something that is a production rather than a conversation.
At a glance
- 1Start a voice chat
Start one in a group or channel; nobody's phone rings.
- 2Speak as a channel
Choose to appear as your channel instead of yourself.
- 3Keep it orderly
Large rooms need muted entry and raised hands.
Updated