Google rolls out ‘Audio Emoji’ feature in its Phone app

Google is now rolling out a feature called Audio Emoji in its first-party Phone app. You might relate emojis with text messages as it makes texting fun. Emojis are a great way to express your feelings while chatting with your near and dear ones. However, Audio Emoji is something very different.

Google rolled out Audio Emoji via the latest update for its Phone app in the beta channel, version 128. The company could make this feature available for every user in a few weeks. In late February earlier this year, there were reports that Google was working on a similar feature, but it had a different name – Audiomojis.

What is the ‘Audio Emoji’ feature in the Google Phone app?

Audio Emoji are simply stock sound effects included in one of six emojis. This includes Clapping (Applause), Laughing, Party, Crying (Trombone), Poop, and Sting (Ba Dum Tss). Google explains the Audio Emoji feature in the settings of the Phone app by mentioning “Express emotions and moods with sounds like applause, laughter, sad trombone, and more with tappable emoji while you’re in a call.”

As a caller, when you choose any of the six Audio Emoji, the Phone app will play a fun animation in the main calling interface followed by a playing sound effect for a few seconds. It is worth noting that both parties on the call can hear the sound effects.

Currently, you have two different options to use the Phone app’s Audio Emoji feature. First, there’s a button to access it in the overflow menu. You can also use it via the Audio Emoji button in the primary calling interface, the screen you usually see during the call.

Google hasn’t added any specific reason why there are two ways to access it. However, if you are not willing to use Audio Emoji in the Phone app, there’s a setting to disable it. Also, there’s a limit on how often you can use these sound effects during a call. You will have to wait sometime and can’t play these sound effects back to back.

All in all, using and liking a new feature is always subjective. And, the same goes for ‘Audio Emoji’ too. While there’s no reason to love or hate the feature, it seems there’s no real use case for it apart from being a playful addition to the normal calling experience in Android devices. Moreover, it is also worth noting that Google is reportedly removing the bottom bar in the Phone app soon.