Glossary
Voice message transcripts
A voice message transcript is written text of the words in an audio message, produced by the messaging app so you can read instead of listen. Apple, Google and WhatsApp each offer one, with different defaults and different privacy arrangements. It turns audio into text, the reverse of dictation.
Updated October 17, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called audio message transcription.
Voice message transcripts are text versions of the words in an audio message. The messaging app recognizes the speech in the recording and shows it as writing under or beside the audio. You can read the message in a quiet room, or in a meeting, instead of playing it out loud. People also call the feature audio message transcription.
It works in the opposite direction from dictation. Dictation turns your voice into text you send. A transcript turns someone else's recorded voice into text you read.
Each app sets the feature up differently
On iPhone, Messages shows transcripts without any setup. From iOS 17, Messages on iPhone shows a transcript under audio messages automatically 1.
Google Messages works differently. Transcription is an option you switch on in its settings, and the transcript stays hidden until you open it. In Google Messages, a voice message transcript is hidden by default, and you open it by tapping the text 2.
WhatsApp is off until you turn it on. WhatsApp voice message transcripts are disabled by default, and users must turn them on manually 3. WhatsApp says its transcripts are generated on the phone, so that no one else, including WhatsApp, can hear or read the messages 4.
Example: reading a voice note in a meeting
A manager gets a 90-second voice note from a colleague while in a meeting. The transcript appears under the audio, so the manager can read the request, then reply by typing or by dictating a short answer. Reading takes less time than playing the audio, and the manager does not need earphones.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
A transcript is a reading aid, not a complete record. Recognition can mishear names, places and numbers, and a transcript of a noisy voice note may be incomplete. Before you act on a transcript, especially for a date, a price or an address, listen to the original audio. When you reply, dictation is often the fastest way to answer, because you can speak your reply into the text field. For the step-by-step setup on each app, see our guide on how to see audio messages as text, and our guide to voice typing in WhatsApp and messaging apps.
Privacy depends on the app. A transcript generated on the phone is different from one generated on a company's servers, so read the settings and the privacy notice for the app you use. For the general contrast, see online speech recognition.
Related terms
- Transcript Assist (Galaxy AI): Samsung's feature for turning recordings in the Voice Recorder app into text.
- Dictation: speaking so that your own words are written into a text field.
- Voice typing: the keyboard feature that writes words as you say them.
- Real-time text (RTT): text that is sent and read while it is typed.
Guides and questions that cover it
- How do you see audio messages as text in iMessage and Google Messages?: the setup for each messaging app.
- Voice typing in WhatsApp and messaging apps: dictation and transcripts inside messaging apps.
- Dictation on phones and tablets: our overview of speaking to text on iPhone, iPad and Android.
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Dictation and Voice to Text on iPhone and AndroidThe topic this term belongs to
- Allow Full AccessAllow Full Access is an iPhone setting that you switch on for a third-party keyboard before it can have open access, such as network access. Apple warns that a keyboard with this setting on is permitted to collect and transmit the text you type.
- GboardGboard is Google's keyboard app for Android and iPhone, and its microphone key turns speech into text in any app where you can type. On Android it can run speech recognition on the phone, while on iPhone the voice input is handled inside the Gboard app and sent to Google.
- Google voice typingGoogle voice typing is the speech-to-text input that Google provides on Android, so you can speak words into a text field. Its name and location vary by phone: Gboard shows a microphone key, while Samsung Galaxy phones list Google Voice Typing next to their own voice input.
- Live CaptionsLive Captions is a feature that shows text for speech and audio as it happens, using the phone's own processing. Google calls it Live Caption on Pixel phones, and Apple calls it Live Captions on iPhone. It reads what others say, so it is the reverse of dictation.
- Live TranscribeLive Transcribe is a Google app for Android phones that turns the speech of people around you into captions as they talk. It helps you follow a conversation. It does not type your own words into a text field, which is what dictation does.
- Real-time text (RTT)Real-time text (RTT) is a way of sending text as it is typed, so the other person can read each word before the sender finishes. It is used in conversation by many deaf and hard of hearing people, and it has no send step like an ordinary text message. It is a typing channel, not a speech technology.
- Samsung voice inputSamsung voice input is the voice-to-text feature built into the Samsung Keyboard on Galaxy phones and tablets. It works only with that keyboard, so it is a separate choice from Google Voice Typing.
- Speech Services by GoogleSpeech Services by Google is the Android speech engine from Google that turns speech into text for other apps and reads on-screen text aloud. Google's Play Store listing now uses the title Speech Recognition & Synthesis, and reviews on that listing still call the app by the older name.
- Third-party keyboardA third-party keyboard is a keyboard app from a developer other than the phone's maker, which you install and switch to in place of the built-in keyboard. Apple calls the iPhone version a custom keyboard, and Apple's rules limit what it can do, such as network access and microphone use.
- Transcript Assist (Galaxy AI)Transcript Assist is a Samsung Galaxy AI feature that converts a saved recording in the Voice Recorder app into text. It works on select Galaxy models and needs a working internet connection. It transcribes recordings you already made, so it is not live dictation into a text field.
- Voice Access (Android)Voice Access (Android) is a Google feature that lets you operate an Android phone or tablet by speaking commands, such as opening an app or tapping a labelled item. Google built it for people who have difficulty using a touch screen. It is a control tool that can also enter text, and it is separate from Windows Voice Access on PCs.