WhatsApp is reportedly testing a new voice-to-text feature for Android that could give users another way to write messages without typing them manually or sending a voice note.
The new feature was reportedly spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.37.8. According to WABetaInfo, it is still under development and has not yet been made available to beta testers.
The feature is expected to add a microphone-style button to the chat bar. When users tap it, they will be able to speak their message while WhatsApp processes their words and displays a “Listening…” status.
After the speech is converted into text, users will reportedly be able to review the message, make changes if needed and send it as a normal text message.
Unlike a regular voice note, the recipient would not receive an audio recording. Instead, they would receive only the text created from the user’s speech. The feature is reportedly being developed for individual chats, group conversations and channels.
WhatsApp may also allow the voice-to-text feature to work without an internet connection. The app could use language packs downloaded to the device to process spoken messages locally.
This could allow users to dictate messages while offline, as long as the required language pack has already been downloaded.
The technology would build on WhatsApp’s existing voice message transcription feature, which already supports on-device processing through downloaded language packs.
However, the feature is still experimental, and some details could change before it is widely released. WhatsApp has not announced an official release date, and the final position or design of the new button may differ from the version currently being tested.
For now, the voice-to-text feature appears to be limited to development on Android, with no confirmation about when, or whether, it will become available to all users.
