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WhatsApp on Thursday released a new feature that can make voice message sharing even more convenient. The company has introduced a new voice message transcript feature for WhatsApp's Android and iOS platforms. This will allow users to see a text-based transcription of voice messages received from others. This feature will be especially useful when users are on the way or are stuck in a noisy place.

WhatsApp's voice message transcript

In a blog post, WhatsApp highlighted that voice message transcripts are generated on the device itself, and no other person can listen to or read the transcribed content. The company stressed that voice messages are still protected by the instant messaging platform's end-to-end encryption.

Users will have to turn on this feature before using it. Once turned on, a transcript automatically appears below the voice message in the selected language. According to the company, only the receiver will see the transcript of the voice message, it will not be visible to the sender.

WhatsApp says that currently there is support for only English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian languages ​​on the Android platform. Whereas, its iOS app has been given support for many more languages ​​​​including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Thai, Turkish, and Swedish.

How to use the feature

Go to WhatsApp settings and open the chat.

Turn on the voice message transcript and choose the desired language.

Tap and hold on to the voice message, then tap Transcribe.

To get more information about the transcription, tap the expand icon in the voice message.

WhatsApp said that it may take some time for the transcription to appear. The company has said that if users see a Transcript unavailable error. So it means that the transcript language is unsupported, or the words are not being recognized due to background noise or the voice message language is not supported. The company also advises to be cautious, as voice message transcripts may be inaccurate.