Slack recently announced that its texting app got voice call support, expanding the possibilities offered by the communication platform.
Both the mobile and desktop ecosystems will get the added functionality after a successful beta testing that started in April.
Computer users will notice that the upper right of the channel header now features a phone icon, while mobile Slackers will engage in voice calls by either tapping the "start a call" icon (found in the mobile app's channel) or going into the direct message drop-down menu.
For its paying customers, Slack offers more than voice calls between two users. Premium Slack users will get access to group calls, regardless of channel or direct message, featuring up to 15 people. This opens up new conference calls possibilities.
Taking a leaf out of real life interactions, Slack found ways to add non-verbal cues to the group calls as well. The company featured the call function with emoji responses so that users who are in group calls can manifest their approval, disapproval or desire to ask a question without interrupting the speaker.
The emojis will pop up above the avatars of people engaged in multiple-persons video calls. What is more, the emojis are supposed to bring a more informal atmosphere to the table and to keep users from cross talking.
Before introducing call support, the app offered various communication channels to its users, including direct messages, group direct texting or exchanging messages in channels.
In May, Slack rolled out the Sign in with Slack feature, offering its users the possibility to log in to third party apps using their Slack credentials. A slew of apps signed a partnership with the messaging app, such as Figma, Officevibe, Quip, Slackline and Smooz.
The new voice call feature is available for Android and iOS variants of Slack.
Slack got a vote of confidence from investors, as the company recently attracted $200 million in venture financing. With the most recent intake of capital, the company raised no less than $540 million since April 2014. Before the last round of financing, Slack had an estimated value of $3.8 billion.
Slack saw promising growth from a daily user base of 16,000 on Feb. 1, 2014 to a whopping 2.7 million on April 1, 2016. Notably enough, from the 2.7 million users, 800,000 have paid accounts. The company offers services to important corporate clients such as Spotify, LinkedIn and NASA.
With the implementation of voice chat capability, the app might take on established names from the industry, such as Skype or Google Hangouts.
