For nearly a year, iOS users have enjoyed the convenience of transcribing WhatsApp voice messages. Now, it’s looking like WhatsApp is working to bring the same functionality to Android, and its users may soon get the same time-saving feature.
TheSpAndroid‘s @AssembleDebug completed an APK breakdown that reveals there is code in WhatsApp Beta for Android (version 2.24.7.7) that indicates this feature is in development. Furthermore, the code also reveals that enabling transcription will require a 150MB download, suggesting that the feature relies on your device’s speech recognition software.
The feature is expected to be located within the Settings > Chats menu, mirroring the feature’s location on iOS devices. End-to-end encryption will also apply to voice transcripts, meaning that your privacy will remain intact even when your voice messages are turned into text.
The feature could not be activated yet, leaving only the strings in the code to go off of. This means that screenshots could not be gathered, which strongly suggests that this feature is still in its very early stages. However, WhatsApp’s timeline for new features can often be unpredictable, so while there is no specific date for when this feature will become widely available, it could appear in future WhatsApp beta releases at any time.
Once released, this move will put WhatsApp on a more even footing with rivals like Telegram and Google Messages, which already offer transcription tools on Android. However, it is unclear if there will be limitations on the use of this feature. While Google Messages has a free transcription service, Telegram limits non-premium users to a few transcripts per week.
It will be interesting to see how WhatsApp decides to implement this feature and if they will follow a similar model or offer it without restrictions. This could potentially impact the user experience and determine how successful the feature will be in attracting new users to the platform.