WhatsApp has now introduced a new feature, enabling users to transcribe voice messages into text. This update will be made available to users across the globe in the coming weeks.
“Sending a voice message makes connecting with friends and family even more personal. There’s something special about hearing your loved one’s voice even when you’re far away. Though sometimes, you’re on the move, in a loud place, or you receive a long voice message that you just can’t stop and listen. For those moments we’re excited to introduce voice message transcripts. Voice messages can be transcribed into text to help you keep up with conversations no matter what you’re doing,” WhatsApp noted in a blog post.
📣 transcripts for voice messages are rolling out now! so when you can’t listen right away, you have the option to read them
voice messages transcripts are generated on your phone so that no one, not even WhatsApp, can hear or read them 🔒 rolling out in select languages
— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) November 21, 2024
Voice message transcription offers a practical solution for users who prefer reading over listening, whether due to hearing impairments, noisy environments, or convenience. The feature leverages on-device processing, ensuring the transcription is generated directly on the user’s device itself. In order to activate the feature, users can navigate to the app’s settings under the “Chats” section and enable the “Voice Message Transcripts” option. Once enabled, transcriptions can be created by long-pressing a voice message within a chat and selecting the “Transcribe” option. It should be noted that enabling voice message transcripts is not automatic, and users need to initiate the transcriptions for each message individually.
For now, this new feature will have support for a limited set of languages, depending on the user’s operating system. On iOS 16 and newer, the supported languages include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and Arabic. With iOS 17, additional languages such as Danish, Malay, Swedish, and Hebrew are available. For Android users, the feature will currently support English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian. In the coming months, the Meta-owned WhatsApp will roll out support for more languages.
The new feature is the latest in a long line that the popular messaging platform has rolled out. Recent updates include the introduction of the Message Drafts feature, which helps users keep track of unfinished messages by tagging them with a “Draft” label and moving the conversation to the top of the inbox. It is also (reportedly) working on a reverse image search feature, which will enable users to combat misinformation by verifying the authenticity of shared images by searching them on the internet.
