WhatsApp introduces voice message transcription feature

After months of anticipation, the feature is now live, allowing users to “keep up with conversations no matter what you’re doing.” The transcripts are generated directly on users’ devices, ensuring privacy—neither WhatsApp nor third parties can access the audio or text content.

This feature is particularly useful in noisy environments or situations requiring discretion, allowing users to avoid playing voice messages aloud.

Currently, transcription is supported in several languages, including English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian on Android. iOS 16 users gain additional support for French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Chinese, and Arabic, while iOS 17 expands this to include languages like Danish, Hebrew, Malay, and Swedish. More languages are expected to roll out in the coming months.

Activating the feature is simple. Navigate to Settings > Chats to enable transcription. Once enabled, long-press a voice message and select Transcribe to convert it to text.

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This global rollout will unfold over the next few weeks, signaling WhatsApp’s continued commitment to user-friendly innovations. With other anticipated features like tagging group chats in statuses on the horizon, the platform is clearly doubling down on creating a more dynamic messaging experience.

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