What you need to know
- WhatsApp has announced a new Voice Message Transcripts feature for select languages.
- The aim is to help users with transcripts when they cannot hear the received voice notes in select situations.
- WhatsApp also notes that it can help comprehend longer voice notes more easily.
- The global rollout in select languages is to happen in the coming weeks, with the promise of adding more languages soon.
If you are a WhatsApp user, chances are you already know how voice notes work on the messaging platform. It is a handy functionality for sharing quick voice messages instead of typing long texts, and it is now getting a nifty new expansion.
WhatsApp has announced that it is introducing voice message transcripts for users who often send voice notes to their friends and family. The Meta-owned company notes that although the voice message itself adds a personal touch compared to a regular text message, in certain scenarios, like when in a loud place or at a concert, it can be difficult to hear a voice message.
In such cases, these newly introduced voice message transcripts aim to save time. Additionally, having transcripts of longer voice notes will be handy for comprehending or getting back to them later. WhatsApp is also adding its privacy aspect to the transcripts, as they are generated on your device so that no one, including WhatsApp, can “hear or read your personal messages.”
The transcripts feature is also optional and can be manually enabled or turned off entirely. The messaging platform users can head to WhatsApp Settings> Chats> Voice message transcripts to enable or disable the feature in their preferred language. Once the feature is enabled, users can long-press the voice message and tap on “transcribe,” and the transcript can be viewed instantly.
The latest addition is believed to be rolling out globally in the coming weeks, with select languages for the start, and more languages are likely to be added in the coming months. WhatsApp has provided a little how-to guide and has listed the languages currently supported by the new transcripts feature. They include English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp has also introduced other nifty features to keep up with the competition. These include the ability to have messages in drafts, which can be sent later to chats, just like email.
Some WhatsApp users are also seeing new typing indicators from the recipients within the chat. The rollout appears to be on the server side. It appears to be an expansion of what users are already accustomed to. Previously, users could see a Typing indicator right under the contact name.