WhatsApp gets voice message transcripts
Voice messages are much easier to send than typing, but, for some people, much more of a hassle to listen to than read. Today WhatsApp has officially introduced a new feature that aims to alleviate the issues faced by people who hate listening to voice messages.
Voice message transcripts are just that. Voice messages can be transcribed into text "to help you keep up with conversations no matter what you're doing", WhatsApp says. The transcripts are generated on your device so no one, not even WhatsApp, can hear or read your personal messages.
Currently supported languages for transcripts are English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian on Android, whereas on iOS 16 they're joined by French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, Chinese, and Arabic and on iOS 17 and later you also get Danish, Finnish, Hebrew, Malay, Norwegian, Dutch, Swedish, and Thai.
To turn on voice message transcripts, go to Settings, tap Chats, and you'll find the option. Then, to transcribe a voice message, long press on it and tap on 'transcribe'.
The new feature is rolling out globally "over the coming weeks". More languages will be added in the future.