Koo launches new 'Talk to Type' feature for Indian languages

Founded in March 2020 by Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, Koo can be used to express views and opinions on various topics much like Twitter.

Indian social media platform Koo recently announced the launch of a new “talk to type” feature, which will allow users to leverage the voice assistant to type out a post using their voice. Additionally, the feature will be available in all languages supported by the app, including English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, and Marathi.

Koo CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna told the Times of India that Koo will foray into all 22 official Indian languages this year. Radhakrishna said the new feature will help empower regional creators. The “talk to type” feature will also serve as a blessing to those who find it uncomfortable or cannot use a keyboard to create posts on the platform.

He added, “For those who find it difficult to type in local languages, this feature removes all that pain. We will keep adding value to Indians by enabling the easiest localized forms of expression and present their thoughts to India in a seamless way.”

Mayank Bidawatka, Co-founder, Koo said “This feature is relevant and contextual to India and creators based out of the country. This new feature makes it easy for local language creators who are new to the keyboard as a concept. We are the first social platform in the world to launch such a feature. You won’t find this on Facebook, Twitter or any other global platform.”

Koo was among the winners of the Aatmanirbhar App Challenge that the Indian Government announced last year. Several key government officials have already signed up on the platform, while Radhakrishna has already expressed the platform’s goals of reaching all Indians and even going global.