WhatsApp

WhatsApp voice message to text

WhatsApp voice message to text: upload the voice message from WhatsApp and get the text of it with a timecode on every segment, the speakers on request, and TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV or DOCX out. Free $0, 3 files a day.

3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps
In short

Here is the whole path: take the voice message from WhatsApp from WhatsApp, send the file to the widget on this page, and the text comes back one segment per line. The free plan is $0 and gives 3 files a day.

How it works

How to get the file and turn it into text

  1. 1

    Play the message

    Open the chat with the voice message and play it once: the media of it is downloaded automatically.

  2. 2

    Check the auto-download

    Open Settings, then Chats, then Media auto-download, and choose the media to keep on the device.

  3. 3

    Look for the transcript

    The transcript of the message is written by the app of your device, and on a device without the feature it may not be there.

  4. 4

    Read it, fix a name, export

    The text comes back one segment per line, with the start and the end time of every piece. Fix a name in the editor and export TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT, CSV or DOCX.

  5. 5

    Wait for the transcript

    Our own measurement on a short file was 0.84 s. A long recording goes through a queue and is saved to your account, so the text is there when you come back for it.

The result

What comes back from the engine

  • TXT

    One segment per line, the way a person wrote it down. It is the format to paste into a ticket, a chat or a document.

  • TXT, CSV

    The start and the end time of every segment, and the speakers named separately when you ask for it.

  • SRT, VTT

    SRT and VTT with the time of every line, so the recording can carry its own subtitles.

  • Markdown, DOCX

    The transcript is edited through the API and exported as Markdown for a wiki, or as DOCX for a review.

The facts

What WhatsApp keeps, and what it gives

Where WhatsApp keeps the file, and what it says about it
WhatWhat the platform says
Where the file isThe voice messages that you receive on WhatsApp are downloaded automatically.
What the file isThe transcript of a voice message is a feature of the app: it is available only on certain devices, and WhatsApp asks to keep the app updated.
What can go wrongThe setting of the automatic download decides which of the media files are kept on the device.
What usually failsThe folder where the files are saved is decided by the settings of your computer.
Length of one fileup to 30 minutes on the free plan, no minute limit on Pro
Free plan$0: 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes per file, no card
Pro plan$10 a month when you pay yearly ($120 a year), or $20 a month
The case

What the recording does not give you

Meetings end in files. the voice message from WhatsApp sits on a laptop or in a cloud folder, and the work that follows, the minutes, the list of actions, the quote for the customer, waits for a person with an hour and a half. Our own transcription engine reads the file once and gives the text back with the timecodes in place, so the minutes are written from the recording and not from memory.

Tips

  • Rename the file before you send it: the name of the meeting travels with it.

  • Do not guess the language: a wrong setting shows up in the names.

  • Turn on the split by speaker when more than two people talk.

  • Take CSV when the text of the WhatsApp file has to go into a spreadsheet.

Questions about WhatsApp files

How long does a WhatsApp file take to transcribe?

Our own measurement on a short file was 0.84 s for the transcription and 0.39 s for the language detection. A long recording goes through a queue and is saved to your account.

What if the download of WhatsApp gives two files?

Take the one with the audio of the meeting and leave the other one. If you are not sure, send both: every file is read on its own.

What do I get back from the WhatsApp file?

A text, one segment per line, with the start and the end time of every segment. The speakers are named on request, and the export comes as TXT, Markdown, SRT, VTT, CSV or DOCX.

The WhatsApp file is very small. Is that normal?

It can be. A voice message is short, and a meeting that was mostly a screen share has little speech in it. The engine returns what is in the file and nothing more.

Related pages

Sources

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Reading: 4 minutesUpdated Transcribsi editorial team

Drop a recording — the text arrives in a minute

Speakers by name, a time on every line, export to TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV and Markdown.

3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps