VoiceChatAlpha is a free chat application one can use to chat with friends and chat on chat rooms via text and voice. This chat application is rather small and easier to use than most of the online chat platforms that are available on the web. The layout is condensed to a small friends list on the main interface. Users can search for new friends from the menu. Chatrooms can be accessed from the menu. Unlike some of the well know Chat services like Yahoo Messenger, VoiceChatAlpha lets you create a chatroom. VoiceChatAlpha also keeps an ‘Iggy List’ where you can put annoying users to block them.
The feature unique to VoiceChatAlpha is its ability to vocalize the chats that appear in the chat box. Apart from that, you’ll also get a vocalized message when you receive a private message. This increases the accessibility of VoiceChatAlpha for handicaps and people who wish to do other things while chatting. VoiceChatAlpha also shows you the chat rooms that your friends are currently on.
There are very few chatroom alternatives presently since Yahoo Chat Rooms were shut down in 2012. Most of these are country based services that people barely use nowadays. VoiceChatAlpha has the potential of filling the gap that Yahoo Messenger had created when it was shut off. If you still want to explore more options, you might want out this list of 4 free yahoo chat room alternatives.
Let’s take a better look at what VoiceChatAlpha can do.
How to use VoiceChatAlpha to Chat
First of all, I have to say that the process of registering to VoiceChatAlpha was instantaneous. Users don’t have to waste precious time in filling a galore of fields and jumping onto different pages like most registration processes make them do. Just enter your email, password and use the security code sent to you on your email and you’re done. This however does raise concern about the account security.
So, you’re on the main interface and you have no friends. To add your friends, go to the Friends menu and click on Manage Friends. Users will have to search their friends to add them. Since you cannot add friends by their email address, you might find it impossible to add friends whose username you’re unaware of. The Iggy List is where you add users you want to block.
Once you add a friend, you can chat with him/her using text and voice calls. The chat box reminds me a bit of early Yahoo Messenger days where the text could be formatted and emoticons could be added. To voice chat with your friend, simply click Call. You’ll have to setup your microphone and headphones before making the call. Whenever you get a request or message, you’ll be notified by VoiceChatAlpha using a virtual narrator’s voice.
Chat Rooms, which are the main attraction of VoiceChatAlpha can be accessed from the Chat Rooms menu or by hitting F2. Users can select over 22 categories of chat rooms which house a variety of the same including private chat rooms that users can create for themselves. Chatroom chats look the same as private chats but with a major difference. Whenever a message pops in the chat room, the message is vocalized by a text-to-speech voice. If you find it annoying, you can turn it off in the settings.
VoiceChatAlpha also displays the chat room that your friend is currently on, in the friends list. Right-click on the friend and select ‘Join friend in chatroom’. Likewise you can also invite a friend to a chat room of your choice.
Final Words
There are a couple of reasons that will compel you to use VoiceChatAlpha. The main reason is this chat application’s potential to become a successor to Yahoo Messenger. VoiceChatAlpha provides additional ingredients like vocalization and chat room creation. Even though this free chat application provides a wide array of functions, it cannot be wholly trusted in terms of security and privacy. Yahoo Messenger was diseased with spammers and abusers which they countered with captcha entries. VoiceChatAlpha has no defense mechanism. After taking the advantages and disadvantages of VoiceChatAlpha into consideration, I award this free chat application with 4.5 stars.
Get VoiceChatAlpha here.
