Meeting & recording apps
How to transcribe WhatsApp voice messages on iPhone
Last updated January 18, 2026
WhatsApp's built-in voice message transcription
WhatsApp offers voice message transcription on iPhone with iOS 16 or later. You can transcribe voice messages directly within WhatsApp to read what was said without having to listen. Transcripts are generated on your device and remain end-to-end encrypted.
To use WhatsApp transcription:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts
- Turn on the feature and select your language
- Tap and hold any voice message, then tap "Transcribe"
WhatsApp transcription supports English, Arabic, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, and Turkish on iOS 17+. Note that Siri must be enabled on your device.
Learn more about WhatsApp voice message transcripts
Why use Audiogest instead
While WhatsApp provides basic transcription for individual voice messages, Audiogest offers professional features for teams and conversations that need more:
- Accurate transcripts with speaker labels - More accurate transcription with better speaker attribution and inferred names, supporting more languages than WhatsApp's limited selection
- Custom AI summaries - Generate any type of summary or deliverable using custom prompts tailored to your needs
- Team collaboration and exports - Share transcripts and summaries with your team within Audiogest, or export in multiple formats (PDF, Word, TXT, SRT)
How to transcribe WhatsApp voice messages with Audiogest
- Open WhatsApp on your iPhone and locate the voice message
- Tap and hold the voice message, then tap Forward
- Tap the share icon and save the audio file to your iPhone Files app or email it to yourself
- Go to audiogest.app and upload the audio file
- Wait for Audiogest to transcribe with automatic speaker labels
- Review and edit the transcript, use AI to generate custom summaries
- Share with your team or export in your preferred format (PDF, Word, TXT, SRT)