WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature for mobile devices which makes it easier for users to engage in chats in real time, it announced on Thursday. It will now display typing indicators with visual cues appearing in chats when users are engaged in active conversations in both one-to-one and group chats. Notably, this adds to the voice message transcripts feature introduced last month, enabling users to see a text-based transcription of the voice message received from others.

Typing Indicators on WhatsApp

As per a press release by the Meta Platforms-owned company, the typing indicators feature brings “…” visual cues which will appear at the bottom of the chat screen, along with the profile picture of the user who is typing. The latter functionality is said to be particularly useful for group chats when multiple users are typing simultaneously.

This feature brings a way of checking when the person you’re engaged in active conversations with is typing, adding to the existing Typing indicator which appears in the top banner. This feature was first reported to be in development in October, with availability limited to select beta testers.

The social media platform says typing indicators are being rolled out for both WhatsApp for iOS and Android platforms. Gadgets 360 staff members can confirm their availability on devices running the aforementioned operating systems.

Other Recent Additions

In addition to typing indicators, WhatsApp introduced voice message transcripts last month, that makes sending voice messages a more convenient process. As the name suggests, it provides users with a text-based transcription of the voice message received from others. However, only the recipient will be able to see a transcript of the voice message and not the sender.

The company emphasises that voice message transcripts are generated on-device and no one else can hear or read the content of the transcripts. Further, voice messages remain protected by the instant messaging platform’s end-to-end encryption. This feature currently supports English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian on the Android platform, whereas WhatsApp for iOS gets additional support for Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Thai, Turkish, and Swedish.

WhatsApp rolled out a new feature on Thursday that aims to make sharing voice messages more convenient. It introduces voice message transcripts on WhatsApp for Android and iOS platforms, enabling users to see a text-based transcription of the voice message received from others. The feature is said to come in handy while on the move or in a loud environment. This development comes after WhatsApp recently released a drafts label for unread messages in chats and a new widget for the home screen of its iOS app.

WhatsApp Voice Message Transcripts

In a blog post, WhatsApp highlighted that voice message transcripts are generated on-device and no one else can hear or read the content of the transcripts. Voice messages still remain protected by the instant messaging platform’s end-to-end encryption, the company emphasised.

The feature needs to be turned on before use. Once toggled, a transcript automatically appears below the voice message in the selected language. As per the company, only the recipient will be able to see a transcript of the voice message and not the sender.

WhatsApp says it currently has support only for English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Russian on the Android platform, whereas its iOS app gets support for several more languages including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Thai, Turkish, and Swedish.

How to use this feature:

1. Open WhatsApp Settings > Chats
2. Toggle Voice Message Transcripts on or off and select the desired language.
3. Tap and hold a voice message, then tap Transcribe.
4. Tap the expand icon in the voice message to reveal more of the transcription.

WhatsApp says it might take a moment for the transcript to appear. If the users run into the “Transcript unavailable” error, it might be due to unsupported transcript language, unrecognisable words background noise, or unsupported voice message language. The company also advises caution as voice message transcripts have a possibility of being inaccurate.