Send and play voice messages about element-android

[TR-SLimey]

I think we've established now that this is an important feature, and as far as I know, it is planned, so maybe let's limit comments to suggestions only, and if you want to express your support for the feature, just give a +1.

[torbendoellmann]

There should also be a possibility to prevent other people from sending me voice messages (they would still be able to send audio files, but it takes an extra step, since you need to switch to a recording app to do so).

Sending voice messages is one of the worst things you can do to another person. Often it's not possibel to listen to them because you might be in a crowded place and most of the time people waste more than a minute to give you information that would fit in a sentence or two.

[wilhelmhagg]

I currently see all my friends migrating to telegram which I don't like. The voice recording feature is the only one missing to recommend them matrix/element. I would really love to see that.

[hoergen]

I wonder what is the reason, why it is implemented in the Web App, but was never implemented in Riot, RiotX or Element?

I want to push this issue a little more, because it is open for now 2 years ?

[jtagcat]

"Please don't send me voice messages." can be communicated between users themselves. Technology strongarming is not always the solution.

Transcriptions (also possible to do locally, on mobile devices) would be the next step, after implementing voice messages.

[532910]

Is any update there? This is a high-priority-must-have feature for any 21th century IM!

[nadonomy]

From scanning the other comments— yep development is underway! In order to execute properly we've needed to re-lay out the composer and room header to scale better and present a more understandable hierarchy.

iOS & Android development are closely in sync so will release together, and @turt2live what's the latest on web support? I know you've been working on this while also focusing on other things but will web at least have playback support when mobile is ready?

[Atalonica]

The major missing feature as an user point of view, in my opinion.

[bpcurse]

We have many requests for this feature as people are used to it from whatsapp and other messengers. The usability for illiterate people is another important factor.
The legacy riot-android even has a pull request open for this that hasn't been merged yet.

EDIT: Except for illiterate people, it is probably an important feature for the visually impaired, too. I cannot tell but I expect it to be a better UX than using a screen reader.

[bmarty]

Interesting library to consider (found by @onurays )

• https://github.com/varunjohn/Audio-Recording-Animation
• https://github.com/Armen101/AudioRecordView

[jtrees]

FluffyChat already has this feature, by the way. An implementation should be possible with the existing protocol.

[progserega]

It is nice feature in Telegram: app will begin auto record voice-message when user place phone (with opened Telegram) to head.

Steps of this feature:

1. Unlock screen of phone
2. Open Element app
3. Open needed room
4. place phone to head (use proximity sensor)
5. Element will hide screen (for prevent press some buttons by head), small vibrate and begin record voice message
6. When user remove phone from head - Element will stop recording voce-message
7. Element wait 3-5 seconds for get users chance cancel sending this voce-message (by press showed "cancel sending" button)
8. If user not press this button - Element will send voice message to this room.

Also - nice feature is setting up in settings speed of playing voice-messages.

[fbruetting]

@bmarty Are there any plans for this feature ? I searched for this issue and found out – quite unsurprisingly – that I’m by far not the only one having problems getting quite some friends to use Matrix because of this sole and incredible useful feature. My friends are really interested, but it’s a major blocker for a lot of people. :/

[pwFoo]

Send / play voice messages would be nice, because many contacts love that feature...

[532910]

It will be nice to have ability to change a playback speed (with pitch correction of course).

[ohnv]

Every single person I've tried to convince to use Matrix/Element has said no as soon as they found out it didn't have an easy to use audio message feature.

Edit: I guess I should ask... any updates or a timeline as to when this might be implemented? I am really trying to get a bunch of people I know to make the switch to Matrix now with this whole Whatsapp/Fb debacle going on, but some usability features like this^ make it really hard and turn a lot of people off.

^2nd biggest complaint I hear is the lack of the "standardized left-right chat bubble interface" every other chat app has).

[SimonBrandner]

@johansmitsnl Hmmm, seems to be the case. Maybe the roadmap is outdated a bit. I am pretty certain this is coming since Matthew has mentioned this in the blog post as well as at FOSDEM

[hieronymousch]

Bit of a shame that this lost the riotx-go-live push...

[alijafari96]

It's really surprising that a feature of this importance hasn't been implemented. Although there aren't many developers working on the project, the priority of voice messaging isn't that much low that after a year it hasn't been taken into account yet!

[nadonomy]

@johansmitsnl @SimonBrandner @moshpirit it's on the roadmap but unfortunately it's a private issue as it contains some private details due to the feature being sponsored. I'll go through all the private issues in the roadmap and break them out public counterparts so they're publicly visible in the near future.

[SimonBrandner]

You can follow the development here: #3598

[michaelblyons]

I would really like the same for video messages, too. A friend uses this all the time in a different application.

[TR-SLimey]

Maybe, just maybe, voice changer effects could also be added like Wire has? Mostly for fun but also to hide what your voice actually sounds like for privacy reasons.

[progserega]

There should also be a possibility to prevent other people from sending me voice messages (they would still be able to send audio files, but it takes an extra step, since you need to switch to a recording app to do so).

Sending voice messages is one of the worst things you can do to another person. Often it's not possibel to listen to them because you might be in a crowded place and most of the time people waste more than a minute to give you information that would fit in a sentence or two.

I am use https://github.com/progserega/voice2textMatrix bot for convert voice messages to text. It is not secure, but enough for most dialogs with voice-messages (at now this is mostly whatsapp bridged dialogs).

[gabmert]

Cross referencing:
this feature is also wished for in web/desktop: element-hq/element-web#1358
and it seems both are waiting for an update of the Matrix protocol matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals#2516

[jphuart]

For the ones that cannot wait, there is fluffychat that proposes the functionality, and it works fine: see https://fluffychat.im

[paddycarver]

It's mentioned here: https://matrix.org/blog/2020/12/25/the-matrix-holiday-special-2020#2021

[turt2live]

Web probably won't have support when mobile is ready. Other priorities got in the way and pushed web's implementation by a few weeks.

[progserega]

May be do this as next iteration:
Add options for room "play new voice-messages in background" - even if screen is off.

And riotX will be able to work as a "radio".

[nithwith]

This feature will be really great and I hope it will be quickly integrated; it can really make a difference in attracting mass users from other online messaging platforms! I'm following the evolution of the issue carefully and will be available for the testing phase!

[sim6]

Yes, it's not perfect for bridges but I prefer this behaviour to the current one. It can always be improved in the future.

[hoergen]

The audio player part got it's own issue: #2525

hehe .... no!

This thread is meanwhile about that an essential function is not implemented because of other networks that are reachable via bridges. Looks like the development lost the direction on that topic.

[hoergen]

This thread is meanwhile about that an essential function is not implemented because of other networks that are reachable via bridges. Looks like the development lost the direction on that topic.

To be fair, the audio player thread got derailed with features that would be good for audiobooks or music players but just not make sense for an inline messaging app audio player. It's github, threads get derailed.

Please stick to this thread topic "Send and play voice messages" and don't do what you explained for completely other threads. Thank you.

The topic of this thread is still: Send and play voice messages

[hoergen]

Add an embedded player for Audio files #2525
#2525

[trymeouteh]

Signal, Jami and other apps do this. Would be nice to see Element support this.

[a22sc]

hi and sorry if this is covered in another thread, but how is playback of bridged whatsapp audio coming along on mobile (iphone). works on desktop, but on mobile i just get "audio" file links and it always wants to open in an external app ... did i misconfigure something here?

element android does not have an implemented player yeat, afaik. hope this feature is coming soon

[tuxayo]

The usability for illiterate people is another important factor.

EDIT: Except for illiterate people, it is probably an important feature for the visually impaired, too. I cannot tell but I expect it to be a better UX than using a screen reader.

Another use case: I have a relative with arthritis or osteoarthritis and it's getting harder and harder to reliably use a touch keyboard.

[tuxayo]

I wish we users could fund well the project. That would help a lot for the development.
https://liberapay.com/matrixdotorg/

[fti7]

I think they will focus on this as soon RiotX can replace/is feature complete of the old Android App.
I switched to RiotX as the new Cross signing Feature came up and they did a good job for the current "Alpha/Beta" Stage :-)

[tredondo]

I think we've established now that this is an important feature, and as far as I know, it is planned

Can someone point out to where exactly on the roadmap audio/voice messages are planned? I couldn't find it by searching that page for these keywords, and the roadmap itself is pretty opaque - for example issue numbers instead of descriptions, or vague descriptions like "Improve X" (how?).

The corresponding element-web issue was locked without linking to the roadmap either.

[IJustDev]

Hey guys, read through some of the messages, is this planned for some upcoming version? Would love to work on this

[tuxayo]

@bpcurse

The legacy riot-android even has a pull request open for this that hasn't been merged yet.

Is that these two?

element-hq/riot-android#3314

element-hq/riot-android#3207

[tuxayo]

Additional info: the same workaround[1] as in Riot legacy doesn't work as the file attachment menu doesn't offer the possibility to invoke a recorder app.

[1] this comment and the next one: element-hq/riot-android#1237 (comment)

[yajo]

An implementation should be possible with the existing protocol.

I guess that it's not possible for bridges to properly bridge a voice message and look native on both ends of the bridge unless it can differentiate that it actually is a voice message, and not just one attached sound file.

Example, this is how a native whatsapp message looks like:

Now, when bridged from matrix using fluffychat voice message:

I see similar things in other bridges.

[michaelblyons]

I would really like the same for video messages, too. A friend uses this all the time in a different application.

This feature would be nice, but I think it would be huge amount of data for a server.

It's reputedly in Riot Android already: "Record and send"

[soonzhi]

any plan of doing this?

[bmarty]

(FTR: element-hq/riot-android#1237)

[tuxayo]

@532910

Is any update there? This is a high-priority-must-have feature for any 21th century IM!

No need to word it like that. It seems (from a user POV) that RiotX is still very early in development. So yes, many stuff is missing.

[ralaud]

I would really like the same for video messages, too. A friend uses this all the time in a different application.

This feature would be nice, but I think it would be huge amount of data for a server.

[ralaud]

I would really like the same for video messages, too. A friend uses this all the time in a different application.

This feature would be nice, but I think it would be huge amount of data for a server.

It's reputedly in Riot Android already: "Record and send"

Oh, you are right, I forgot about this feature because it isn't so handy for video messages.

[DoM1niC]

Currently I use the new RiotX instead of Riot with the VoiceMessage Forks, I hope some will implemented soon :(

THX anyway the new RiotX will bash all known Open Source Messenger alternatives!!!!!!!

[hex-m]

The audio player part got it's own issue: #2525

[DanHakimi]

This thread is meanwhile about that an essential function is not implemented because of other networks that are reachable via bridges. Looks like the development lost the direction on that topic.

To be fair, the audio player thread got derailed with features that would be good for audiobooks or music players but just not make sense for an inline messaging app audio player. It's github, threads get derailed.

[a22sc]

Maybe this helps:
https://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Kotlin_-_Android_Audio_Recording_and_Playback_using_MediaPlayer_and_MediaRecorder

android.media.MediaPlayer is already used in vector/src/main/java/im/vector/app/core/services/CallRingPlayer.kt

[Nesaijn]

When this is done on Android, will it also be done on iOS simultaneously?

[SimonBrandner]

@Nesaijn Probably yes

[AnonymousWebHacker]

Heeyy Sorry for being late for the party ;) @bmarty , what is Element waiting for audio? come on cheer up , That triangle of sending text, without hardly writing, is already left over

[johansmitsnl]

@paddycarver it is indeed in the blogpost but not in the roadmap?

[moshpirit]

Hmmm, seems to be the case. Maybe the roadmap is outdated a bit. I am pretty certain this is coming since Matthew has mentioned this in the blog post as well as at FOSDEM

@nadonomy seems to be the one updating the roadmap. Maybe he will add it soon or maybe he just forgot about this great coming feature

[hoergen]

Maybe you talking about some internal details, but "Web" in the browser Firefox and Chromium and the Desktop App are working like charme since minimum over a year with playing sound files. Or are you talking about recording inside the app ?

[n137]

I am for the idea of a voice bot that translates text into voice. I do not have enough time and energy to look at the phone and read messages (my eyes get tired, my posture deteriorates, my hands are busy). Voice messages would be very convenient. It might be able to work as a player, so as not to load the phone's memory.

[ArneNostitz]

hi and sorry if this is covered in another thread, but how is playback of bridged whatsapp audio coming along on mobile (iphone). works on desktop, but on mobile i just get "audio" file links and it always wants to open in an external app ... did i misconfigure something here?