Some thoughts about audio messages

Expected behavior

I think that it would be great if:

  1. Audio messages would continue playing even if the display is off or isn’t focused on the chat which the message is (like Telegram or Signal behave, for example, so one can use other apps or do other things while listening an audio message in background).
  2. The display would automatically be always on (unless explicitly locked), while listening an audio message.
  3. Audio messages could be reproduced from the earpiece instead of from the speaker, if the phone is put near the ears.
  4. The audio message’s speed could be doubled.

Actual behavior

  1. If, while listening to an audio message, I exit from the chat which the message is in, the audio stops. If I return to the chat to resume it, it restarts from the beginning instead of remembering the position it was when it stopped, which is a bit annoying if the message is long.
  2. While listening to an audio message, if I don’t touch the screen to keep it on, it goes off after sometime, stopping the audio and making it return to the beginning. This is annoying especially combined with point 1, since I have to touch the screen but I can’t exit the chat, so I just have to pointlessly touch every 30 seconds or so.
  3. If, while listening to an audio message, I put the phone near my ear, nothing happens. It continues playing from the speaker.
  4. The audio message’s speed can’t be modified. Sometimes, it’s useful to be able to listen audio messages faster.

Those are, for me, the only features DeltaChat is missing to be the perfect messagging app! So it’d be awesome if they could be implemented. Thanks.

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