Better late than never: Voice message transcription finally hits WhatsApp for Android

More than a year after launching voice message transcription on iOS, WhatsApp is finally bringing this feature to Android as well.

Android beta users already have WhatsApp’s voice message transcripts feature

The feature is now live for some users on WhatsApp beta version 2.24.15.5. If you are part of the beta program and see the feature, just head to the Chats option in the app settings to turn it on.

As shown in the attached screenshot, some beta testers can already turn on the transcription feature for both incoming and outgoing voice messages. To use it, you will need to download an extra data package to ensure your privacy.

Actually, these voice transcripts are generated right on your device, so no one else can hear your voice notes or read the transcripts. Right now, you can choose from language data packages like English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, and Hindi.

The iOS version already supports more languages, so additional languages will likely be added to the Android version in the future, too. WhatsApp hasn’t shared any rollout details yet, but we expect the feature to hit the stable channel in the coming weeks.

I find the voice message transcription feature on WhatsApp quite useful, and it is encouraging to see it becoming more widely accessible. This addition not only enhances the app’s usability for users with hearing problems but also proves handy in noisy or work settings where listening to voice messages may not be possible.

In other updates, the Meta-owned app is rolling out context cards to tackle group chat spam. Additionally, there are hints that the Live Translate feature from Samsung’s suite of AI tools, Galaxy AI, could soon be integrated into the app, enabling seamless translation during calls.