How to use voice message transcriptions in WhatsApp?

Modified Jun 18, 2024 14:21 GMT

Picture of WhatsApp playing a voice message — WhatsApp playing a voice message (Image via Meta)

If you find it annoying when you receive a voice message on WhatsApp while at work, you're not alone. Fortunately, WhatsApp has been working on voice message transcriptions to solve this. The feature would convert the audio message into a text-based message, so you can still get the contents of the message without playing it live.

The transcriptions feature was introduced in iOS beta and later appeared on Android. Here's how you can use this WhatsApp feature on the phone.

Note: The feature is still in beta, and some steps may change when this feature appears in the stable version.

Requirements for voice message transcriptions feature

WhatsApp messages (Image via Meta || Christian Wiediger/Unsplash)

The Whatsapp voice message transcriptions feature is secured with an end-to-end encryption feature, so even WhatsApp won't know which voice message and what you are transcribing. However, your phone must meet certain requirements to ensure compatibility with this feature. We've prepared two separate requirement lists based on the operating system.

On iOS

Here are all the things you will need:

The operating system version must be on iOS 16 or above.
The "Hey Siri" feature must be enabled in the iOS Settings app.

If your device doesn't meet both requirements, this feature will not be available.

On Android

On Android, it is far simpler. You just have to ensure your phone is running on Android 12 and above, and that's it. You don't need anything else.

Steps to enable voice message transcriptions

If your phone meets all the feature requirements, your phone is compatible with voice message transcriptions. Let's look at how you can enable it.

On iOS

Follow these steps to enable voice message transcriptions:

Launch WhatsApp on your iPhone.
Look at the bottom right corner and tap on "Settings."
Scroll down and tap on "Chats."
Next, look for a toggle named "Voice Message Transcripts" and turn the toggle on.
After that, tap on the "Voice Message Transcripts" text itself and tap on Download.
Now, select your desired language, and it will begin downloading.

On Android

Here are the steps on how to enable voice message transcriptions on Android.

Launch WhatsApp on your Android phone.
Look for the "three-dotted menu button" at the top right corner and tap on it.
Now, tap on "Settings."
Next, scroll down and tap on "Chats."
After that, turn on the toggle next to the name "Voice Message Transcripts."
Once that's done, tap on the "Voice Message Transcripts" itself and tap on Download.
Select your desired language here, and the transcription language model will begin downloading.

Steps to use voice message transcriptions

Using voice message transcription is pretty simple, so long as your phone meets the feature requirement and the feature itself is enabled on your phone. The steps to use this feature are the same on iOS and Android, and they will work for all smartphones.

Tap and hold the voice message you want to transcribe.
Next, tap on Transcribe. You may see "Transcript language" here if you haven't selected a language to download in the previous steps.
A live transcription process will begin with timestamps.

Check out our other articles:

Edited by Angad Sharma