According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is providing a voice message transcription capability for certain beta iOS testers in order to improve user experience.
“After installing the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 23.9.0.70 update available on the TestFlight app, we can confirm that WhatsApp is finally releasing this feature to some beta testers!” said the WhatsApp news tracker.
As a voice note is sent, the transcription is added to the message bubble, as shown in the screenshot.
This feature is enabled by default but in case you do not want your voice messages being transcribed for some reason, you can disable the feature by visiting WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Voice Message Transcripts.
“Note that this feature always preserves end-to-end encryption as the transcription process takes place locally on the user’s device, by using language packs.”
“For this reason, the ability to transcribe messages is only available for some users on newer versions of iOS, as it uses the latest APIs provided by iOS 16 that allow the app to process the voice message locally on the user’s device, without the need to transfer the message to external servers.”
The transcription feature also allows users to search for information within the message as when the voice note is transcribed, the text is indexed, making it searchable.
“The ability to transcribe voice notes is available for some beta testers that install the latest version of WhatsApp beta for iOS from the TestFlight app, and it is rolling out to even more people over the coming weeks.”
