Matt TranscriberA 7-minute voice note while you're at work. Three audios in a row in the family group chat. A voice message you can't play because you have no headphones. If you use WhatsApp, there's one real fix: transcribe voice messages to text and read them in seconds.
This guide shows you how to do it on iPhone with Matt, an app that turns any voice note into complete text in about 3 seconds, without leaving WhatsApp and without sending your audio to any server.
Transcribe a WhatsApp voice note in 5 steps
- Download Matt for free from the App Store and open it once to activate it.
- In WhatsApp, long-press the voice message you want to read and tap Forward (the arrow).
- Select the voice note — you can tick several at once — and tap the Share icon at the bottom.
- In the iOS share sheet, choose Matt (the first time, scroll the apps or tap "More").
- Done: the full transcription appears in about 3 seconds, ready to read, copy, summarize or translate.
Why not just use WhatsApp's built-in transcription?
WhatsApp includes a voice note transcription feature, but it has well-known limits: it leaves dashes and skipped words when the audio isn't perfect, supports fewer languages, and stops at plain transcription. Matt uses Apple's best speech recognition and adds what's missing:
- No-gap transcriptions, even with fast or noisy audio;
- AI summaries with key points for really long voice notes (how it works);
- Real-time translation from 40+ languages (translation guide);
- A searchable archive of every saved transcription.
Privacy: where does the audio go?
Nowhere: transcription runs 100% on-device — entirely on your iPhone — and works offline too. No audio is ever uploaded to external servers, and the sender gets no notification. Only if you explicitly request an AI summary is the text (never the audio) processed in the cloud. Full details in the privacy policy.
Not just WhatsApp
The exact same flow works with Telegram voice messages, audio from other messaging apps, and imported audio files like meetings, lectures and voice memos.
Try Matt for free
Transcribe your first WhatsApp voice note in 3 seconds. ★ 4.9 on the App Store.
Download on the App StoreFrequently asked questions
Is WhatsApp voice message transcription free?
Matt is free to download and you can try transcription right away. Advanced features (AI summaries, unlimited use) are part of the Pro plan, also available as a one-time lifetime purchase.
Does the sender know I transcribed their voice note?
No. Everything happens on your iPhone: no notification is sent to the sender.
Does it work with voice notes in foreign languages?
Yes: Matt transcribes 40+ languages and can translate the text into yours in real time.