WhatsApp on Android is finally getting voice message transcription

WhatsApp is finally rolling out its long-awaited voice message transcription feature on Android, over a year after it debuted on the iOS version of the app. The feature is reportedly rolling out to users on the beta channel, and it currently supports voice message transcription in five languages.

WABetaInfo reports that the feature is available for some users in WhatsApp beta version 2.24.15.5. If you’re enrolled in WhatsApp’s beta program and have received the feature, you can enable it by heading to the Chats option in the app settings.

After enabling the feature, WhatsApp will prompt you to download a language data pack to start transcribing voice messages, as it relies on your device’s speech recognition to provide end-to-end encrypted transcripts. The feature will then automatically transcribe voice messages and the transcripts will appear in the selected language within the voice message bubble.

As you can see, the feature currently supports voice message transcriptions in English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Hindi. This suggests that WhatsApp might initially release the feature for Android users in regions where these languages are widely spoken. However, since the iOS version supports more languages, it may reach more regions at a later date. WhatsApp has not shared any details about the rollout, but we expect the feature to arrive on the stable channel in the coming weeks.

Have you received WhatsApp’s voice message transcripts feature on your device? Let us know in the comments.