How to voice type in WhatsApp

Two microphones: one writes, one records

When you type in WhatsApp you see two microphones. They do different jobs.

• The keyboard's microphone sits on the keyboard. It turns what you say into text. The other person gets text.
• WhatsApp's microphone is the round button to the right of the message box. It records your voice. The other person gets a voice note.

On iPhone

Apple calls this feature Dictation. First make sure it's on:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap General, then Keyboard.
3. Turn on Enable Dictation. If a prompt appears, tap Enable Dictation again.

Then in WhatsApp:

1. Open the chat and tap the message box at the bottom.
2. Tap the microphone on the keyboard.
3. Talk. Your words appear in the message box.
4. When you're done, tap the microphone again. Dictation also stops by itself after 30 seconds of silence.
5. Read it, fix anything, and send.

In English, iPhone adds commas, periods and question marks for you in supported languages. You can also say them: "comma", "period", "question mark", "new line".

On Android with Gboard

Gboard is Google's keyboard. Many Android phones come with it; if yours doesn't, you can get it from Google Play.

1. Open the chat and tap the message box.
2. At the top of the keyboard, tap the microphone.
3. When you see Speak now, say your message.
4. Read the text and send it.

The first time, your phone may ask for microphone permission. Choose While using the app.

On Samsung Keyboard

Many Samsung phones come with Samsung Keyboard. Depending on the version, its microphone is at the bottom left of the keyboard or in the toolbar above the keys.

1. Tap the message box in WhatsApp.
2. Tap the keyboard's microphone. If you don't see it, tap the three dots in the toolbar to show more buttons. On some versions you touch and hold the microphone while you speak.
3. Talk, then read and send.

Samsung phones can have two voice typing services: Samsung voice input and Google voice typing. Samsung recommends having only one turned on. You choose it in Settings, in the keyboard settings. Menu names differ by phone and software version.

If the microphone is missing or doesn't work

• iPhone: no microphone on the keyboard? Check Enable Dictation first. If it's on, check Screen Time restrictions. More fixes: iPhone dictation not working.
• Android: check that the right keyboard is open, that voice typing is on in the keyboard's settings, and that the keyboard has microphone permission.
• "No permission to enable voice typing": not a WhatsApp setting. For Gboard, give microphone permission to Gboard; for Samsung Keyboard, check the permissions its selected voice input service asks for. Step by step: fix "No permission to enable voice typing".
• It writes in the wrong language: on iPhone and in Gboard, voice typing uses the language of the keyboard that's open. Switch the keyboard language (hold the globe key on iPhone, hold the space bar in Gboard).

Want to read a voice note you received?

That's a different job. WhatsApp has its own feature for it: in WhatsApp Settings, under Chats, turn on voice message transcripts. Then touch and hold a voice message and choose to transcribe it. It may not be available in every language.

Yazsın doesn't transcribe voice notes either. It's a keyboard that writes what you say.