How to Enable WhatsApp Voice Transcripts (Step-by-Step)

WhatsApp has finally completed the global rollout of its built-in voice transcription feature (as of late 2024). But how do you actually turn it on? And what happens if the feature is still hidden on your phone?

Here is your complete guide to enabling WhatsApp voice-to-text natively.

---

TL;DR: Enable Native WhatsApp Audio Transcripts

Depending on your device, follow these quick steps:

On iPhone / iOS:

1. Open WhatsApp Settings.
2. Tap Chats.
3. Toggle on Voice Message Transcripts.
4. Select your preferred default language and let it download.

On Android:

1. Open WhatsApp Settings (via the three dots).
2. Tap Chats.
3. Under the Chat Settings section, toggle Voice message transcripts on.
4. Select the language pack to download.

Once enabled, any incoming voice note will automatically display text below the audio bubble.

---

Why is the Setting Missing from my Phone?

If you followed the steps above but cannot find the toggle for “Voice Message Transcripts,” there are a few reasons why:

You Need to Update Your OS

The native feature requires system-level APIs for speech recognition.

• iPhone: You must be on iOS 16 or newer.
• Android: The exact version varies by manufacturer, but older OS versions generally lack the neural processing hooks WhatsApp requires.

Your Hardware is Unsupported

WhatsApp intentionally disabled this feature for older smartphones. Because transcripts are processed 100% locally on your device (to preserve privacy), old processors simply cannot handle the computational load without draining the battery instantly or crashing the phone. If you have an iPhone 8 or older, or an entry-level Android phone from years ago, you may never get the feature natively.

You Live in an Unsupported Region

While the global rollout is mostly complete, certain privacy laws or localized app variants prevent the feature from appearing in some countries.

---

How to Get Voice Transcripts if Your Phone Isn’t Supported

Just because your phone is older or WhatsApp hid the setting doesn’t mean you can’t read your voice notes!

Transcriber for WhatsApp adds transcription capabilities to any phone, regardless of age, OS, or regional restrictions. How it works:

• Instead of using your phone’s processor, Transcriber uses the cloud.
• You just add the Transcriber bot to your contacts.
• Whenever you get a voice note, forward it to the bot, and it instantly replies with highly accurate text.

No settings to dig through, no OS updates required, and no massive language packs to download.

Add Transcriber to your contacts today!