Compared to its predecessor, WhatsApp has steadily improved and expanded its functionality. Already, it has improved its Status feature and upped the maximum number of photos you can send in a single message to over 100. However, the newest innovation we’re anticipating is the capability to transcribe voice notes into text.
According to WABetaInfo, this brand-new feature is in the works and will be available in the beta form soon. Some of their rivals already provide this function, though it might be locked behind a paywall.
Voice notes in WhatsApp will soon be able to be converted to text.
Instead of relying on third-party transcription apps, the WhatsApp team is working on creating their own. There were rumors that WhatsApp tested the feature in September 2021 on iOS devices. Not Facebook or Meta, but Apple services are used for the transcription.
However, further development of the feature has been put on hold for unknown reasons. This occurs quite frequently. Due to imperfect testing procedures, many pre-release features are discarded before reaching the public.
Now, in version 23.3.0.73 of the WhatsApp beta for iOS, users can take advantage of the app’s progress toward implementing voice memo transcription. If the words are not recognized or are in a different language than what is installed within the app, the introduction screen for the new feature will explain the circumstances in which the transcription will not be available.
Note that the transcripts will be created locally on the device itself. It won’t be sent to Apple or WhatsApp. The feature requires users to download language packs. Based on the information provided by WABetaInfo, it appears that this function may be exclusive to more recent iOS releases.
Until then, we’ll have to await the feature’s impending wide rollout patiently. It will follow the standard practice of first being released as a public beta and then becoming a stable release if all goes well.
