How to Convert a WhatsApp Voice Message to Text (Phone and PC)
By TapScriber Team
Published 8 min read
Yes, WhatsApp can convert voice messages to text in its Android and iPhone apps, but the feature is off by default and you have to turn it on in Settings, Chats, Voice Message Transcripts. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app don’t have it. To turn a WhatsApp voice message into text on a computer, the TapScriber extension adds a “Transcribe” button under every voice message you receive (or “Transcribe & translate” if the chat is in another language).
Below you’ll find the steps for each device, the languages each one supports and what to do when the option doesn’t show up.
Can you convert a WhatsApp voice message to text?
Yes. WhatsApp launched voice message transcripts in November 2024, according to its official blog, and they’re now available on Android phones and iPhones. The transcript is generated on your own phone, the voice message stays end-to-end encrypted and the sender can’t see the text.
What changes is where you use WhatsApp.
| Where you use WhatsApp | Does it transcribe voice messages? |
|---|---|
| Android app | Yes, in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian |
| iPhone app | Yes, on iOS 16 or newer with Siri on, in up to 20 languages |
| WhatsApp Web | Not natively. With the TapScriber extension, yes |
| Desktop app (Windows or Mac) | No, and it doesn’t support extensions either |
How to turn on voice message transcripts in WhatsApp
The option is off by default, so the first step is switching it on. It works almost the same way on both systems, according to WhatsApp’s Help Center.
- Open WhatsApp Settings. On iPhone you can also tap your profile picture.
- Tap Chats.
- Turn on Voice Message Transcripts.
- Tap Choose language and pick the language most of your voice messages are in.
- On Android, tap Set up now or Wait for Wi-Fi so your phone downloads that language. On iPhone, tap Change to and the language you chose.
The language in step 4 matters more than it looks. WhatsApp transcribes in that language, not in the language of the voice message, so if most people message you in English and one day you get a voice message in Spanish, the transcript will come out wrong or not at all. You can change it at any time in Settings, Chats, Transcript language.
How to convert a WhatsApp voice message to text on your phone
Once the feature is on, you transcribe each voice message when you want to. You don’t need to listen to it first.
On Android
Tap and hold the voice message, open the options menu at the top and tap Transcribe. After a few seconds the text shows up under the voice message. If it’s long, it’s cut short, and tapping it shows the rest.
On iPhone
Tap and hold the voice message and tap Transcribe. The text appears inside the bubble, under the waveform, and tapping it expands the whole transcript. iPhone has two extra requirements, iOS 16 or newer and Siri turned on. If Siri was off when you turned on transcripts, your phone asks you to download the language you chose.
The text is in the same language that was spoken. If the voice message is in another language and you want to read it in yours, our guide on how to translate a WhatsApp voice message shows how, because WhatsApp doesn’t translate transcripts.
Languages WhatsApp can transcribe
The languages depend on your phone’s operating system. This is the list from WhatsApp’s Help Center as of November 2026.
| Device | Transcript languages |
|---|---|
| Android | English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian |
| iPhone on iOS 16 | English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish |
| iPhone on iOS 17 or newer | The iOS 16 languages plus Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Malay, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai |
If the voice message is in a language that isn’t in the table, WhatsApp can’t turn it into text on your phone.
Why the transcribe option doesn’t show up
If you can’t find Transcribe or the text never appears, it’s usually one of these.
- The feature is off. It’s disabled by default and you turn it on in Settings, Chats.
- It hasn’t reached your phone yet. WhatsApp’s help page says it’s only available on certain devices and recommends keeping the app updated so you get it as soon as it’s ready.
- The language doesn’t match. If the voice message is in a different language from the one you chose, or in one your phone doesn’t support, the transcript fails or makes no sense.
- Your iPhone is missing a requirement. You need iOS 16 or newer and Siri turned on.
- You’re on a computer. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app for Windows and Mac don’t have voice message transcripts.
- You use WhatsApp Business. The Help Center doesn’t say whether the feature is in that app. If you can’t see it in Settings, Chats, check that you have the latest version.
Even when it works, the transcript isn’t always accurate, and WhatsApp’s own help page says so. With background noise, names or people who talk very fast, check the text before you rely on a number or an address.
How to convert a WhatsApp voice message to text on PC with TapScriber
WhatsApp Web has no built-in transcripts, and the desktop app doesn’t support extensions. TapScriber is an extension for Chrome, Edge and Brave that adds a button to WhatsApp Web to turn the voice messages you receive into text, without leaving the chat. It’s also a WhatsApp Web translator, so it works just as well when the voice message is in another language.
1. Install TapScriber from the Chrome Web Store
Open the TapScriber listing on the Chrome Web Store and click “Add to Chrome”. Edge and Brave install it from the same listing. You don’t need an account to try it.
2. Open the conversation on WhatsApp Web
Go to web.whatsapp.com and open the chat with the voice message. If WhatsApp Web was already open, there’s no need to reload it (only after the extension updates). TapScriber takes “My language” from your browser, and you can change it from the extension icon.
3. Click Transcribe under the voice message
Under every voice message you receive there’s a link. If the chat is already in your language it says “Transcribe”. If it’s in another language it says “Transcribe & translate”, because there you’ll want to read it translated.
You don’t have to press play. WhatsApp Web only downloads the audio when you play it, so if it hasn’t done that yet, TapScriber presses play muted and stops it right away. Before it does, it tells you WhatsApp will mark the voice message as played, which the sender can see if you have read receipts on. If that doesn’t work, it asks you to play it yourself and transcribes it as soon as it starts.
4. Read the transcript under the voice message
A few seconds later a box appears labeled “Transcript”, with the text of the voice message and, underneath, the note “It’s already in your language”. You can select and copy it like any other text.
“Hide” collapses the box and “Show transcript” opens it again. If the voice message turns out to be in another language, you’ll see the translation on top and the original transcript underneath. The language is detected automatically, so you don’t pick it in advance like on your phone.
How many minutes of voice messages you can transcribe
Voice messages have their own quota in minutes, separate from text translations. We count the seconds of each voice message, even if it was already in your language, and a transcription that fails doesn’t count.
| Plan | Voice minutes | Longest voice message |
|---|---|---|
| No account | 5 minutes to try it | 3 minutes |
| Free account | 30 minutes a month | 3 minutes |
| Pro | 5 hours a month | 10 minutes |
You can create the free account with Google or an email code, with no card. If a voice message is longer than your plan allows, TapScriber tells you and doesn’t charge anything.
There are limits worth knowing. TapScriber only transcribes voice messages you receive, not the ones you send. It works on WhatsApp Web in Chrome, Edge or Brave, never in the phone app or the desktop app. And unlike WhatsApp’s transcripts, the voice message you choose goes through our server to be turned into text, and neither the audio nor the transcript is stored. The details are in our privacy policy.
Other ways to turn a WhatsApp voice message into text
Some websites and apps transcribe an audio file if you upload it. They help when your phone doesn’t support the language of the voice message, or when you need the text on a computer without an extension. The catch is that you have to get the voice message out of WhatsApp (forward it, share it or export it) and hand it to an outside service. Before doing that with personal or work voice messages, check what that service does with your files, whether it keeps them and whether it uses them to train its models.
How to turn off voice message transcripts
You turn it off in the same place you turned it on. Go to Settings, tap Chats and switch off Voice Message Transcripts. Doing so resets your transcript language, so if you turn it back on you’ll have to choose it again.
Which method suits you
| Method | Where | Languages | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp transcripts on Android | Phone app | English, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian | Free |
| WhatsApp transcripts on iPhone | iPhone app on iOS 16 or newer | Up to 20, depending on your iOS version | Free |
| TapScriber | WhatsApp Web in Chrome, Edge or Brave | Detects the language and translates it if needed | 5 minutes without an account, 30 a month with a free account and 5 hours on Pro |
| Transcription websites and apps | Any device, by uploading the file | Depends on the service | Depends on the service |
If you read voice messages on your phone and they come in a language it supports, WhatsApp’s transcripts are free, private and enough. If you spend the day on WhatsApp Web, TapScriber saves you from picking up your phone for every voice message and keeps the text next to the audio. Text messages work the same way with the Translate button, as shown in our guide to translating WhatsApp Web messages.
Frequently asked questions
Can you convert a WhatsApp voice message to text?
Yes. In the Android and iPhone apps, turn on Voice Message Transcripts in Settings, Chats, then tap and hold the voice message and tap Transcribe. WhatsApp Web and the desktop app don't have this option, but the TapScriber extension adds a button to transcribe every voice message you receive in the browser.
How do I turn on voice message transcripts in WhatsApp?
Go to Settings, tap Chats and turn on Voice Message Transcripts. Then tap Choose language and pick the language most of your voice messages are in. It's off by default, so if you never changed it, it won't work.
How do I transcribe WhatsApp voice messages on iPhone?
You need iOS 16 or newer and Siri turned on. With the feature on in Settings, Chats, tap and hold the voice message and tap Transcribe. On iOS 17 or newer, iPhone supports 20 languages.
Is there a free app to convert WhatsApp voice messages to text?
You don't need another app on your phone, because WhatsApp's transcripts are free and built in. On a computer, TapScriber lets you transcribe 5 minutes of voice messages without an account and 30 minutes a month with a free account.
Will the sender know I transcribed their voice message?
No. The sender can't see your transcripts. They may see that you played it, depending on your read receipts. With TapScriber, if the voice message hadn't loaded yet, WhatsApp marks it as played.
