WhatsApp today announced the introduction of transcript support for voice messages – allowing users to read a received voice message without having to play it. This feature is very useful if you are outside the office or home in a noisy environment, as it allows you to read it without having to listen to the message through the loud speaker of the device.
WhatsApp says that the transcript for a voice message is generated directly on the device, without sending it to the server – ensuring that the message is not read and encrypted.
For now, this feature is being introduced in stages to everyone. Those who have received it, can go to the Settings > Chats > Voice Message Transcripts page.
For your information, WhatsApp only supports English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian for this initial stage. WhatsApp says that it will add support for more languages moving forward.