Meta-owned messaging app WhatsApp has launched its highly anticipated voice message transcripts, the company announced.
With this feature, voice messages can be transcribed into text to help users keep up with conversations regardless of what you’re doing.
“Sending a voice message makes connecting with friends and family even more personal. There’s something special about hearing your loved one’s voice even when you’re far away. Though sometimes, you’re on the move, in a loud place, or you receive a long voice message that you just can’t stop and listen,” WhatsApp said. “For those moments we’re excited to introduce voice message transcripts.”
How to activate the feature?
In order to get started with voice messages, you must first enable the feature on the app by visiting Settings > Chats > Voice Message Transcripts when available and choose your transcript language. Then, to transcribe a message, the user must long press on it and tap ‘transcribe’.
However, not all voice messages will be automatically transcribed. Instead, the user must manually select the message they want transcribed.
iOS users will also have to enable Siri to use the feature.
Privacy Concerns:
WhatsApp has underscored that voice message transcripts are generated on the user’s device. Thus, the personal voice messages remain protected by end-to-end encryption.
“No one, including WhatsApp, can listen to your voice messages or see the content of your voice message transcripts,” the company stated.
Is the feature available to everyone?
WhatsApp’s new feature will roll out globally over the coming weeks with select few languages to begin with.
On Android, WhatsApp voice transcripts will be supported in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. On iOS 16 and up, it will be supported in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Chinese, and Arabic.
