How to Transcribe Voice Notes to Text (Free & Paid Methods)

Voice notes are great for sending but terrible for referencing later. Transcription fixes that — here’s how to convert voice notes to text on any platform.

Free Transcription Methods

WhatsApp (Built-in)

WhatsApp added transcription in 2024:

1. Go to Settings → Chats → Voice message transcripts
2. Enable and download your language
3. Tap any voice note
4. Tap Transcript to see the text

Pros: Free, built-in, decent accuracy
Cons: Only works in WhatsApp, limited languages

Google Recorder (Android)

Best free transcription for Android:

1. Record with Google Recorder app
2. Transcription happens automatically
3. Tap recording to see full transcript
4. Search recordings by words spoken

Pros: Free, offline, searchable, excellent accuracy
Cons: Android only (Pixel has it pre-installed)

iOS Voice Memos + Siri

iPhone has limited built-in transcription:

1. Share voice note to Voice Memos
2. iOS 17+: Some transcription available
3. Not as complete as dedicated tools

Better option: Share to Notes app and use Live Text on the audio player.

Online Free Tools

Otter.ai Free Tier

• 300 minutes/month free
• Upload audio files
• Good accuracy
• Creates searchable transcripts

Notta.ai Free Tier

• 120 minutes/month free
• Similar features to Otter

Speechnotes

• Web-based
• Free with ads
• Real-time transcription

Paid Transcription Services

Otter.ai Pro ($16.99/month)

• 1200 minutes/month
• Better export options
• Custom vocabulary
• Team features

Best for: Regular transcription needs, meetings

Descript ($12/month)

• Transcription + editing
• Edit audio by editing text
• Overdub feature

Best for: Podcasters, content creators

Rev ($1.50/minute)

• Human transcription available
• Very high accuracy
• Quick turnaround

Best for: Critical accuracy needs, legal/medical

Whisper (Free, Self-hosted)

• OpenAI’s transcription model
• Extremely accurate
• Run locally or via API

Best for: Developers, privacy-focused, bulk processing

How to Transcribe Voice Notes by Platform

WhatsApp Voice Notes

Option 1: Use built-in transcription (see above)
Option 2:

1. Long-press voice note → Forward → Share
2. Save to Files
3. Upload to Otter.ai or similar

iMessage Voice Notes

1. Tap Keep to save the voice note
2. Long-press → More → Save to Voice Memos
3. From Voice Memos, share to transcription app
4. Or share directly to Files, then upload

Telegram Voice Notes

1. Tap the voice note
2. Tap … → Save to Downloads
3. Upload file to transcription service

Instagram Voice Messages

Instagram doesn’t allow easy export. Options:

1. Screen record while playing (captures audio)
2. Use a third-party download tool
3. Ask sender to re-record elsewhere

Other Audio Files

Most services accept:

• .m4a (iPhone format)
• .mp3
• .wav
• .ogg (Telegram)

Just upload to Otter, Notta, or similar.

Using AI for Transcription

ChatGPT (Plus)

ChatGPT Plus can transcribe audio:

1. Upload audio file to ChatGPT
2. Ask “Please transcribe this audio”
3. Get transcript back

Also works for summarization, extracting action items, translation.

Claude

Similar capability — upload audio and ask for transcription.

Whisper API

For developers:

• Call OpenAI’s Whisper API
• Best accuracy available
• 99 language support
• $0.006/minute

Tips for Better Transcription

Recording Quality

• Minimize background noise
• Speak clearly
• Don’t talk over others
• Stay close to the microphone

File Quality

• Higher quality audio = better transcription
• Compressed WhatsApp audio works but isn’t ideal
• Original recordings beat forwarded ones

Review Output

• AI transcription is ~95% accurate
• Technical terms and names often wrong
• Always proofread important transcripts
• Some tools let you correct and improve future accuracy

Transcription Limitations

Accuracy issues with:

• Heavy accents
• Technical jargon
• Multiple speakers talking over each other
• Background music or noise
• Very fast speech

Not great for:

• Lyrics or poetry
• Heavy slang
• Languages not well-supported
• Whispered speech

FAQ

Transcription has gotten genuinely good — free tools can handle most voice notes with high accuracy. The bigger challenge is having your voice notes organized enough to transcribe in the first place. Start with good organization, and transcription becomes the easy part.