WhatsApp rolls out Voice Message Transcripts — here's how to use it
Now you can stay in the loop, even when you’re at a busy train station, in a noisy café, or anywhere else where hitting play on a voice message just isn’t practical.
WhatsApp just made life a little easier for anyone who’s ever struggled to listen to a voice message in a noisy environment—or found themselves sneaking a peek during a meeting.
The Meta-owned messaging giant has just announced the rollout of voice message transcription, a feature that converts audio messages into text. This means even when you’re commuting, multitasking, or simply not in the mood to hit play, this update is here to keep you informed.
If it sounds familiar, the idea isn’t entirely new. Apple’s iMessage introduced something similar to iOS 17 last year. Meta's Thread also already has the feature.
Here’s how it will work on WhatsApp; if you receive a voice message, you can long-press it and tap “transcribe” to see the message in text form. WhatsApp claims transcribed messages are still protected by the app’s end-to-end encryption, and the transcription is handled directly on your device's privacy.
How to set up Voice Message Transcripts on WhatsApp
- Go to your WhatsApp settings
- Navigate to “Chats,” and turn on “Voice Message Transcripts.”
- From there, you can select your preferred language.
The feature is rolling out globally over the next few weeks, so if it hasn’t shown up for you yet, it’s on the way.
And that’s not all WhatsApp has been working on. It has also introduced a Message Drafts feature that makes it easier to pick up where you left off. If you start typing a message but get distracted, it will now be marked as a “Draft” and moved to the top of your chat list so you won’t forget about it. It’s a small but handy change that keeps conversations flowing.
Even more exciting is that WhatsApp is reportedly testing a reverse image search tool. This new feature will let you send a shared image to Google to check if it’s been edited or taken out of context. It’s a smart way to combat misinformation and ensure that what you’re seeing is genuine.
Between voice message transcripts, smarter message management, and tools to verify images, WhatsApp is focused on making the app more useful in everyday life.
David Adubiina
