WhatsApp works on the ability to convert voice messages to text

WhatsApp is developing a new feature for iOS users that can provide text messaging for voice messages. This feature is especially useful for those who do not want to listen to long voice messages or do not have the conditions to listen.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is working on a new feature to convert audio to text, the processing of which is done entirely on the user’s device. This way, WhatsApp and Facebook will not be able to access the content of your messages.

The website says that using this feature in WhatsApp will also help Apple improve its speech recognition system. It should be noted that this feature is available to users optionally. As you can see in the image below, when you first send a voice message, WhatsApp displays the following message to you.

This message asks you to grant access to speech recognition. It is further explained that speech information from this application will be sent to Apple to process your request. It also contributes to the advancement of Apple technology.

By authorizing the use of speech recognition system, users can access a new section called Transcript and jump directly to different time points. When a voice message is converted to text for the first time, the text is stored locally in the WhatsApp database so that you can access the text again if needed.

As the ability to convert audio to text is still under development, WhatsApp public beta testers will not be able to try it yet, but we’ll let you know as soon as that allows. What do you think about this feature? Can such a feature help improve the WhatsApp user experience?