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Where I live, WhatsApp is the number one messaging app. Whether a person has an iPhone or an Android, you can bet your life savings that there’s going to be WhatsApp installed on it. Voice messages are one of the most convenient features in the app because they’re a lot less effort than typing.
However, while voice messages can be so easy for a sender to send, they can sometimes be inconvenient to reply to, for several reasons. However, with WhatsApp just introducing voice message transcripts, they’re about to change the game.
WhatsApp Now Lets You Read, Not Just Listen To, What’s Being Said In A Voice Message
Voice messages are great for so many reasons. First of all, as much as you can attempt to add your own flavor to the way you talk over text, it’s never going to be as personal as sending a voice message. On top of that, voice messages are easier to send, whether it’s simply because you’re in a spot where your hands aren’t free to type out a message or you’re simply too lazy to bother (valid, no matter what they tell you).
It’s great then that essentially every major messaging app has a voice message feature—some with time limits and others without. WhatsApp in particular, doesn’t have a limit (as far as I know), and for me, that presents a problem. I receive long voice messages often and replying them involves me jumping back in trying to remember points I missed. For some people, they’re in a loud spot or simply can’t stop and listen to a voice message.
Well, problem solved, as WhatsApp has just introduced voice message transcripts into its app. We knew it was coming, but now it is finally here. This will listen to the voice message for you, transcribe it, and then show you what it says, all without needing to actually listen. This is certain to come in handy in so many different situations and I’m glad it’s arrived.
Voice Message Transcription Rolling Out Globally
I’ve jumped into WhatsApp, in the hopes of showing all of you the feature in play, but it hasn’t reached my region yet. WhatsApp says that it is rolling out globally and it’ll complete its deployment in “the coming weeks”.
To start, only some languages will be supported, including English, Spanish, Russian, and Portuguese. However, the team says that other languages will follow in due time.
How To Set Up And Use The Voice Message Transcription Feature In WhatsApp
If you do happen to be in a region where the voice message transcript feature is active and ready to go, you’ll need to do a few things to get it working. The first is to actually enable it in the settings. Simply go into Settings, then Chats, and enable “Voice message transcriptions”. You will get the chance to choose a language here.
Now that that’s done, all you have to do is go to a voice message that you’re unable to listen to, long-press it, and then tap the Transcribe option. Just like that, you’ll see text appear under the voice message to serve as your ears when listening just isn’t convenient.