SINGAPORE, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- buz, the voice messaging app that recently topped app store rankings across multiple countries, has released a product update today, with a spotlight on Japanese users. The update introduces the Kansai Vibes voice filterโbuzโs most technically advanced filter to dateโalong with a suite of new features designed to enable more user creativity and social sharing.
Kansai Vibes: Innovation in Voice Filters
The Kansai Vibes voice filter brings vibrant regional Japanese dialectsโlike those from Kansai, a south-central region of Japan known for its expressive speech and major cities like Osaka and Kyotoโto life using a completely new speech synthesis approach.
Instead of simple voice conversion, buz now uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to transcribe the user's voice, a large language model (LLM) to rewrite it in the Kansai dialect, and finally text-to-speech (TTS) to generate a fresh, natural-sounding Kansai-accented voice. Each output is randomized, allowing for a variety of tonesโfrom playful and anxious to bold or sarcasticโand featuring both male and female voices.
The Kansai Vibes launch is part of buzโs broader push to localize content for a culturally diverse audience. By capturing the nuance and personality of one of Japanโs regional dialects, buz is deepening its appeal among Japanese users and other international users who are interested in Japanese culture.
New โFeaturedโ Tab and Social Video Sharing
The appโs new update also debuts a Featured tab, where filters come to life with dynamic previews and social-ready content designed to spark creativity and encourage sharing. Users can now export voice-based creations directly to video, complete with visual effects and captions, then easily and quickly post them across social platforms.
New creative tools introduced in this release include fresh bubble styles, updated text templates, voice-to-video generation, and support for third-party video sharingโmaking it easier than ever to make voice moments into compelling, shareable content.
Global Momentum and User Excitement
buz continues its organic growth, gaining strong traction across many markets as users embrace its fresh take on voice-driven social interaction. The app is also showing strong signs of popularity among young users in Japan and around the world, reflecting its broad cross-cultural appeal. In Japan, buz has ranked #5 in the Apple App Storeโs Social Networking category and #7 in Google Playโs.
Additionally, buz has reached the #1 spot in the Social Networking category of 12 countries on the App Store and four countries on Google Play. It has also ranked among the top 10 social networking apps in 133 countries on the App Store and 53 countries on Google Play, including the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. This strong viral growth across different markets demonstrates strong growth and momentum in diverse cultural contexts. With 4.9 stars on the App Store and 4.8 stars on Google Play, buz maintains one of the highest user satisfaction ratings in its category.
About buz
buz is voice messaging made fast, natural and fun. Developed by Singapore-based Vocalbeats, the leading audio-based and voice-driven messaging app bridges age, language and cultural gaps, and is part of the Companyโs vision to create the world's largest audio platform to better connect and communication. With over 29 million downloads globally, buz enables effortless connectivity among usersโanytime and anywhereโthrough secure, clear voice transmissions and a user-centric interface.
buz is available on the App Store and Google Play.
For more information, please visit www.buz.ai.
About Vocalbeats
Vocalbeats is dedicated to building the worldโs largest audio platforms to better connect and communicate while pioneering innovation in AI-powered products and experiences. The Company fosters a globally diverse and inclusive team, committed to revolutionizing audio platforms by leveraging the synergy of heterogenous perspectives. This commitment ensures the creation of innovative products that resonate worldwide.
For more information, please visit https://www.vocalbeats.com.
Media contact: [email protected]
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