Add inline audio playback for shared audio files

[IbraheemTuffaha]

Currently, when an audio file (e.g., .m4a, .mp3) is shared in chat, it appears only as a downloadable file without playback controls

It would improve usability and consistency if audio messages had inline previews, similar to how videos and PDFs are handled, allowing users to play the audio directly within the chat

Current preview:

[IbraheemTuffaha]

I would like to help with implementing this feature
I haven't yet explored the code and how it can be implemented yet

[monorkin]

Hey @IbraheemTuffaha this sounds like a great addition!
I think we can start simple by extending the attachment partial to render an audio player if the attached file can be played in the browser.

[milos-dukic]

hey @monorkin I have a working solution I can create a PR, but before that I would like to ask, should we autoplay the message upon delivery, or that action should be explicit, i.e. should we play it only when user clicks on it?

Here is the preview (I created sound bar animation as a nice touch):

Also I was wondering do we want to have some playback time, i.e. seconds left...so that the user could have a grasp about the length of the audio message?

Thx

[IbraheemTuffaha]

Nice @milos-dukic!
I think we should only play it on explicit user action, following the same patterns used in other chat apps as users are used to that pattern.
I've never seen a chat app that auto plays audio messages.

[milos-dukic]

Yeah...but currently you can type in the chat /play bell and it will send a bell sound (which is predefined) and auto play it :) that is the reason I asked :)

[IbraheemTuffaha]

I like the experience from Telegram, here's an example:

Screen.Recording.2025-12-03.at.7.18.47.PM.mp4

Not sure if that's an easy one to implement though

[milos-dukic]

Hey :) I here is the final version. I will create a PR for it:

[milos-dukic]

PR #137

[bendelaney]

I implemented your PR @milos-dukic and found it lacking the ability to stop/start the audio. It would just play through. I tried the suggestion that you made, @monorkin ("extending the attachment partial to render an audio player if the attached file can be played in the browser") and it works perfectly. I had to tweak a couple styles to widen it so that it showed the audio timeline and not just the play/pause button, but it's working great. Happy to submit a PR if desired.

[milos-dukic]

hey @bendelaney no problem, sure, you can give it a go :)