WhatsApp starts rolling out Voice Message Transcripts feature: What is it, how it works and more

WhatsApp

Expanding the feature list on its platform, WhatsApp has announced a new feature called Voice Message Transcripts that transcribes voice messages into text, making it easier for users to keep up with conversations in noisy environments or when listening to lengthy messages isn’t possible. The feature ensures privacy by generating transcripts on the user’s device without sharing the content with WhatsApp or any third party.

What is Voice Message Transcripts feature?

The voice message transcript feature, as the name implies, converts voice messages into text, providing a written version of the audio. While recipients can view these transcripts, senders cannot access them. End-to-end encryption ensures that no one, including WhatsApp, can listen to the voice messages or access their transcripts.

Steps to to enable Voice Message Transcripts on WhatsApp

Voice message transcripts feature is disabled by default and must be manually activated. Here’s how to enable and use the feature:

1. Open WhatsApp and navigate to Settings.

2. Tap on Chats and turn on Voice Message Transcripts.

3. Select a Transcript Language during the setup.

4. To transcribe a message, long-press the voice message and tap Transcribe.

Users can also configure their settings to download the transcript language files based on their internet preferences.

How to transcribe a voice message

Long press the message or Tap on the ‘Transcribe’ option to transcribe a received message.

Supported languages

Currently, voice message transcripts support four languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. WhatsApp plans to expand this list in the coming months.

Things to keep in mind

The feature is rolling out globally over the coming weeks. Users may encounter delays or errors in generating transcripts if the chosen language doesn’t match the language of the voice message. Read receipts for voice messages work according to the recipient’s privacy settings.