A WhatsApp bot that transcribes voice messages
Updated
Yes, there is one. Forward the voice note to Transcribe My Notes on WhatsApp and the text comes back in the same chat, usually within 10 seconds.
Transcribe My Notes is a WhatsApp number, not an app. You send it a voice note someone sent you, the way you would forward it to a friend, and it replies with what the note says. It works in 56 languages, detects the language by itself, and follows anything over 2 minutes with a short summary, so a rambling five-minute message comes down to a few lines you can read at a glance.
4 minutes free, no card. Then £2.50 or $3.00 a month for unlimited transcriptions.
How to use the bot
- Open a chat with Transcribe My Notes on WhatsApp and send "start".
- Long-press the voice note you received, tap Forward, and pick the Transcribe My Notes chat.
- Read the text when it comes back, usually within 10 seconds, followed by a short summary if the note is over 2 minutes.
You can forward several notes in a row, and forwarded videos and audio files work the same way. Files can be up to 100 MB, which is hours of audio.
The bot or WhatsApp's own transcripts?
WhatsApp can transcribe voice messages itself (Settings, Chats, Voice message transcripts). It is free and the audio never leaves your phone, so if it works for you, use it. People come to a bot when it doesn't: the option is missing, the note is in a language other than the one set, it says "Transcript unavailable", or the note is long and they want the gist. Our guide to WhatsApp voice message transcripts not working covers the fixes.
| Feature | WhatsApp's transcripts | Transcribe My Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Where it works | The WhatsApp app, where it has rolled out | Any phone, WhatsApp Web and Desktop |
| Languages | The transcript language you choose in settings | 56, detected for each note |
| Summary of long notes | No | A short tl;dr for notes over 2 minutes |
| Videos and audio files | Voice messages | Voice notes, videos and audio files |
| Where the audio goes | Stays on your phone | Sent to us, transcribed, then discarded |
| Price | Free | 4 minutes free, then £2.50 or $3.00 a month |
Who it's for
- People who get long voice notes from friends and family and would rather read them in a meeting, on a train or late at night.
- Small businesses on WhatsApp: tradespeople, shops and agencies whose customers send voice notes, who read the request before they call back.
- Anyone who can't easily listen right now, or who wants the note as text to copy into a reply, a calendar or a to-do list.
Privacy
The audio is processed when you forward it and then discarded: we don't keep voice notes. Payments run through Stripe, so card details never reach us. Read the privacy policy for the full detail.