How to set up a voice channel like in Discord

March 19, 2026

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If you have ever used Discord, you know how incredibly convenient its voice channels are. Instead of scheduling a call, sending a link, and waiting for everyone to join, you simply "drop in" to an always-open audio room and start talking. It mimics the natural flow of an office where you can just walk up to a colleague's desk.

In case you are looking to bring this seamless, drop-in communication to a corporate, self-hosted environment, Virola Messenger is a fantastic alternative. Here is a straightforward guide on how to set up and use Discord-style voice channels in Virola.

How Virola handles voice meetings

While Discord provides dedicated text channels and separate voice channels, Virola takes a slightly different, more integrated approach. Every single chat room in Virola, whether it is a private or group room, can function as a continuous voice channel. You do not need to create a specific voice-only room. Instead, the voice meeting engine is built directly into every existing conversation, allowing participants to jump in and out of the audio feed at any time.

Step-by-step guide for using Virola voice meetings

Since the capability is already built in, setting up your voice channel is just a matter of creating a dedicated room for your team and activating the audio tools in the intercom toolbar.

1. Create a dedicated group chat room and name it. If you want a specific space similar to a Discord voice lounge, create a new group chat room first.
2. Add the relevant team members to the room and assign additional moderator roles if necessary.
3. Navigate to the chat room you'd like to use for voice communication.
4. Click the Intercom button in the interface to expand the communication tools menu.
5. Test your headphones and microphone, and activate them when you are ready to join the conversation. As soon as you activate these icons, you are successfully in a continuous voice meeting. Other participants in the room will see live indicators on your avatar showing that you are actively listening or speaking.
6. End the meeting. Just like in Discord, leaving is frictionless. When you are done talking, simply deactivate the headphones and microphone icons. You will immediately leave the voice meeting without leaving the group chat room.

Extra features to enhance your meeting

While you are in a Virola voice meeting, you can take advantage of a few other built-in tools to improve collaboration:

• Live video: Click the camera icon to start streaming your webcam. Other users can click the eye icon to view your stream. You can also turn off incoming video to save bandwidth if you are on a weak connection.
• Screen sharing and remote control: You can share your screen for live presentations or even grant a trusted teammate remote control over your desktop for hands-on troubleshooting.
• No-limit recording: Click the recording icon to capture the meeting. Virola allows recording sessions quietly without time limits and sharing the audio directly with the chat room participants.