WhatsApp has begun rolling out its much-anticipated voice message transcription feature in India.
Originally announced in November last year, the feature uses on-device processing to convert voice messages into text, allowing users to read the content of a voice note without playing the audio.
The transcription feature has started appearing on WhatsApp’s Android app and is expected to arrive on the iOS app soon.
While Hindi is not officially listed as a supported language, users have noticed that voice notes recorded in Hindi are still being transcribed into text.
As of now, the officially supported languages for transcription include English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.
The voice message transcription feature enables users to read the content of a voice message, making it easier to continue conversations without needing to listen to the audio — a convenient option for users in public spaces or during meetings.
WhatsApp emphasized that the transcriptions are processed entirely on the user’s device, ensuring privacy, as neither the audio nor the text is accessible by WhatsApp.
Users can also toggle the feature on or off through the “Voice message transcripts” option, located within the Chats menu in the app’s settings.
The rollout marks another step in WhatsApp’s effort to enhance user experience, giving people more flexibility in how they communicate.
