How do you convert WhatsApp voice messages to text?

WhatsApp converts a voice message into text with its own transcript feature. It works only on voice messages other people send you, and only after you turn it on in WhatsApp's settings. Once it is on, you tap and hold a voice message and choose Transcribe ¹.

Turn the transcript feature on, then press and hold

The setting lives in WhatsApp, not in your phone's settings. The steps below match the feature as it launched in November 2024. Menu names can change with app updates, so look for the same labels if your screen differs.

1. Open WhatsApp, tap Settings, then tap Chats ².
2. Tap Voice message transcripts, and turn it on. Choose the language the person speaks. WhatsApp warns that a language that does not match the message can make a transcript wrong, so this step matters ³.
3. Open the chat, then tap and hold the voice message you want to read.
4. Tap Transcribe.

You repeat step 3 for each message, because the feature works one message at a time.

The transcript is private to you

Only the person who received the voice message can see its transcript. The sender cannot ⁴. WhatsApp says transcripts are generated on your device, so that no one else, including WhatsApp, can hear or read the message ⁵.

That privacy design explains the limits. A transcript is something you request for a message you have received. It does not reach the sender, and it does not turn a message you are about to send into text.

Your language decides whether it works at all

Transcripts do not cover every language. Two figures from the November 2024 launch show how the lists differed by platform:

These are launch figures, not today's list. Open the Voice message transcripts screen on your phone to see which languages it offers now. If your language is not in the list, the feature cannot transcribe those messages.

It depends on the audio, not only the app

A transcript is only as good as the recording. WhatsApp warned that transcripts can contain errors when background noise makes words unclear, when the transcript language does not match the message, or when the language is not supported ³. A noisy recording is the first thing to suspect when a transcript comes out wrong.

Treat a transcript as a guide, not a record. If the words matter, such as a time, an address or a number, play the audio and check the key details against the text before you act on them.

If you need text for a reply, use dictation instead

The transcript feature does not help you reply by text. For your own reply, use the microphone key on your keyboard, which types what you say into the message box. The question on why voice typing is not working in WhatsApp covers the cases where the microphone key does nothing.

Other messaging apps transcribe audio too

Audio message transcripts in iPhone Messages need iOS 17 on both the sender's and the recipient's phones ⁸. For the other apps, see how to see audio messages as text.

What to do

1. Turn on Voice message transcripts in Settings, then Chats, and pick the sender's language.
2. Tap and hold a received voice message, then tap Transcribe.
3. If the transcript is wrong, check the language setting first, then play the audio to confirm.
4. If your language is missing from the list, the feature cannot transcribe it, so ask the sender to type the key details.

For the full set of steps and the other ways to use voice in WhatsApp, read the guide to voice typing in WhatsApp and messaging apps. The overview of dictation on phones and tablets covers the rest of the phone features. The related questions are why WhatsApp transcripts are not working and how to dictate and send a text by voice. For the terms used here, see our glossary entries for voice typing and dictation.