How to transcribe WhatsApp voice messages on iPhone

You received a long WhatsApp voice message and you'd rather read it, or you need the text somewhere else, like an email or notes. There are two practical routes on iPhone. AI Transcribe is our app.

Short answer

For a quick read inside the chat, turn on WhatsApp's built-in transcripts (Settings > Chats > Voice Message Transcripts). To get the text out of WhatsApp, translate it, or summarize a long message, share the audio to a transcription app such as AI Transcribe.

Option 1: WhatsApp's built-in transcript

WhatsApp transcribes voice messages on your device, and the messages stay end-to-end encrypted. Per WhatsApp's Help Center (as of October 2026), you need iOS 16 or newer, and Siri must be enabled.

In WhatsApp, tap Settings (or your profile picture), then Chats, and turn on Voice Message Transcripts.
Tap Choose language, pick the language most of your voice messages are in, and confirm.
Tap and hold a voice message, then tap Transcribe. The transcript can take a moment.

Languages (as of October 2026): on iOS 16, 12 languages: English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Turkish. On iOS 17 and later, 20: those plus Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hebrew, Malay, Norwegian, Swedish and Thai.

Limitations: one transcript language at a time, set in settings, which is awkward when contacts send voice messages in more than one language. And the text stays in the chat: no export, no summary, no translation.

Option 2: Transcribe the audio with an app

For long voice messages, other languages, or when you need the text elsewhere:

In WhatsApp, tap and hold the voice message, tap Forward, then the share icon. Share it straight to AI Transcribe, or use Save to Files.
If you saved it, open AI Transcribe, tap Import > Audio File and pick it. AI Transcribe accepts common audio formats.
The transcript appears with speaker labels and timestamps. The language is detected automatically among 32 languages, useful when voice messages arrive in mixed languages.
Tap Summarize for the gist of a 10-minute monologue, translate the text into one of 46 languages, or use another of the 20+ AI tools, such as action items by owner. Export as text, PDF, Word or SRT.

AI Transcribe is free to download. Pro, weekly or annual, starts with a 3-day free trial that you can begin on iPhone or Mac, and one subscription covers both apps (the trial is once per Apple ID). Before you start it, you can try two imports or AI tool runs and one chat answer, and on iPhone you can keep recording and transcribing without subscribing. Sign in with your email and the transcript also appears on your Mac and in the web library (sync).

Which should you use?

	WhatsApp built-in	AI Transcribe
Where the text ends up	Inside the chat	Anywhere (copy, text, PDF, Word)
Languages	Up to 20, one set in settings	32, auto-detected
Long voice messages	Works, but no summary	Summary, key points, to-dos
Translation	No	Yes, into 46 languages
Cost	Free	Free to try, then Pro

For a short message you only want to read, WhatsApp's transcript is quicker. The app is worth it when you need to do something with the text.

Frequently asked questions

Why don't I see "Transcribe"? Check that your iPhone runs iOS 16 or newer, Siri is enabled, and transcripts are turned on in WhatsApp's settings.

Can I transcribe a voice message someone forwarded from another chat? Yes, forwarded voice messages are ordinary audio. Share or save them the same way.

Are WhatsApp voice messages too low-quality for transcription? Voice messages can be transcribed, but clarity, background noise, compression and language can affect the result.

Can I transcribe voice messages in a language other than the one I set? Yes. AI Transcribe detects each file's language automatically among 32 languages, and can translate the transcript afterwards.

Is there a length limit? Imported files can be up to 3 hours long.