Discord’s audio chat has been a confusing experience at times – because you can’t type a voice channel, you often have to switch between channels to share a link or funny GIF. But there is finally clarity. The service has enabled text chat in voice channels on all platforms. Each channel now has a dedicated section where you can type to your heart’s content. You also don’t have to join the call to participate, so you can jump in to offer assistance without too much interruption.
Voice channels now have the same permissions as regular text chats, so moderators can restrict the ability to send messages, stickers, and other content. Benefits of ‘enhanced’ servers, such as larger file uploads, are carried over to voice channels.
The feature is free for all servers. It’s now available for servers that aren’t set to “Community” status (that is, private use servers only), but managers can opt in if they’re comfortable with it. On June 29, all servers enabled text.
Discord’s move could help reduce confusion, not to mention the proliferation of channels created solely to handle text chat for voice users. To some extent, it is surprising that the combination of speech and text was not available before. It’s probably a welcome change of pace, though. Critics have accused Discord of focusing too much on clubhouse-style broadcasts, Premium channel memberships, and other features beyond the company’s original gaming focus. With text chat in voice channels, Discord goes back to basics with a feature that users have wanted for a long time.
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