How to Transcribe WhatsApp Voice Messages to Text

Save the voice message first

Open the conversation containing a recording you have permission to share. Press and hold the voice message, then look for Forward, Share or an export option. The available controls depend on the phone, WhatsApp version and conversation settings.

On iPhone

Where the share sheet is available, choose Save to Files and select a folder you can find from the browser. If the share option is unavailable, use WhatsApp Desktop or another permitted export method. Selecting a message does not always expose the same menu on every version.

On Android

Use the available Share or Forward option to save the recording to your files. The file may appear in Downloads, a folder selected by the sharing app, or WhatsApp media storage. Use the file picker to locate the saved audio.

TalkToTextly does not log in to WhatsApp, read conversations or extract a message from a chat link. It receives only the file you select.

Upload the saved file

Open the WhatsApp audio transcription tool, select the recording and check the spoken language. WhatsApp recordings commonly use OGG or OPUS. Both extensions are accepted, together with other supported formats, subject to successful server decoding.

The queued workflow accepts up to 1 GiB per file. Confirm each selected file separately. Keep the tab open until upload finishes; uploaded jobs continue on the server.

Processing time varies with recording length, queue demand and service availability. If an upload fails, keep the original recording and follow the error guidance before trying again.

Review and export the transcript

Read the result while listening to unclear passages. Names, numbers, accents and overlapping speakers can require correction. A voice message with several languages may need additional review.

Copy the text or export TXT or DOCX for notes and documents. SRT and VTT exports contain estimated timings that need review before publication.

For example, a message saying "Please move our call to Thursday at ten" can become a written reminder. Check the day and time against the recording before adding it to a calendar. This illustrates the review step; it is not an accuracy benchmark.

Understand privacy and recovery

Audio is securely uploaded and sent through Hugging Face Inference Providers to DeepInfra for transcription. Audio is deleted after completion or error. Incomplete uploads and queued jobs expire after 24 hours.

Private results and incomplete drafts after failure can be recovered for seven days or deleted earlier. Recovery keys and saved transcripts remain in this browser until you delete them or clear site storage. Download a backup first, especially on a shared device.

Read the privacy policy for provider details, locations and diagnostic retention. Only upload recordings you are allowed to share with the service.

Troubleshoot a WhatsApp recording

The file will not open

Check that you saved the audio rather than a chat shortcut or message link. If the server cannot decode the file, export a playable MP3, WAV or M4A copy using a trusted converter. Renaming the extension does not convert the recording.

The words are wrong

Select the spoken language when you know it. Use the original recording and listen for background noise, clipped speech or several people talking at once. Correct the transcript against the audio before sharing it.

I closed the page

Return in the same browser profile. Uploaded jobs can continue and their saved recovery keys may restore the result. Clearing site storage removes those keys. An unfinished upload may need to be selected again.