Islamabad, Feb 26: WhatsApp has introduced its highly anticipated voice message transcription feature in Pakistan, offering users a convenient way to convert voice messages into text. This update is particularly useful in situations where listening to an audio message is not feasible, ensuring greater accessibility and ease of communication. However, the feature comes with a few limitations, including restricted language support and the need for manual activation.
To enable the transcription function, users must update WhatsApp to the latest version and navigate to the settings menu. Within the “Chats” section, an option for “Voice message transcripts” is available, allowing users to activate the feature. Once enabled, the app downloads a language-specific file, which is necessary for transcribing audio messages. The size of this file varies, with the English language pack requiring approximately 138 MB of storage.
Currently, the transcription feature supports only a few languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian. Unfortunately, Urdu is not yet included, which may be a drawback for many Pakistani users. Given WhatsApp’s widespread popularity in Pakistan, there is hope that future updates will introduce support for Urdu and other regional languages. Until then, only voice messages recorded in supported languages can be transcribed.
While the feature enhances convenience, it is not without its challenges. Early testing suggests that the accuracy of transcriptions can vary, particularly with unclear speech or certain pronunciations. Simple phrases such as “Hello, how are you?” are transcribed effectively, but elongated or unclear words may not always be recognized correctly. As the feature continues to evolve, improvements in accuracy and expanded language support are expected.
WhatsApp’s voice message transcription is a promising addition, especially for professionals, students, and individuals who prefer reading over listening. However, given its current limitations, it may not fully replace traditional voice messaging just yet. Users looking to take advantage of this function should ensure their app is updated to the latest version to access the new feature.
