How to Start a Voice Chat in BBM 7

The latest version of the Blackberry Messenger arrived in the BlackBerry App World with a brand new feature, long awaited by many, namely BBM Voice.

The enhancement provides users with the possibility to easily start a voice chat from a BBM text conversation.

The feature is currently available in BBM 7 for all devices running under BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 or newer flavors of the platform.

The transition from a BBM conversation to voice chat works very smoothly, RIM notes, and even explains how users can take full advantage of it.

“You can start or join voice chats in BBM on smartphones running BlackBerry Device Software 6.0 or later,” the company notes on its support website.

“From a chat, you can start a voice chat by clicking the voice chat icon, pressing the Send key on your BlackBerry smartphone, or selecting the option from the menu.”

The BBM Voice feature can be used over WiFi networks, which means that users will need to make sure that their BlackBerry devices are connected to such a hotspot first.

Then, simply hit the Menu key in the BlackBerry Messenger application, navigate to Contact <contact's name>, and select Start Voice Chat.

Users will also be able to access other options on the device while in voice chat, including sending files, through simply clicking on Open Chat during a conversation (this will minimize the call, RIM explains).

As soon as the conversation is over, users can end a voice chat by clicking on the End key or icon.

As mentioned above, the BBM Voice feature was included in the latest version of BBM 7, made available for download through the BlackBerry App World only for BlackBerry OS 6 or newer. Owners of devices running under BlackBerry OS 5 will also be able to enjoy the feature starting with early next year, RIM announced.