WhatsApp introduces voice-to-text and Apple device updates

Meta is rolling out several new features for WhatsApp, focusing on improved user experience and accessibility. A significant update includes a native voice-to-text tool that converts spoken audio into text messages before they are sent. This feature, discovered in the Android development channel, allows users to dictate messages, review the transcription, and edit it before sharing. To ensure privacy and security, the audio processing is performed locally on the device using downloaded language packs, meaning no voice recordings are sent to external servers, maintaining end-to-end encryption.

For Apple users, WhatsApp is expanding its functionality on both the iPhone and Apple Watch. The Apple Watch will now support the full system emoji catalog for message reactions, moving beyond the previous limit of six fixed emojis. Additionally, iPhone users will see a new search shortcut that appears at the top of the chat screen when scrolling up, allowing for faster message retrieval within specific conversations without returning to the main menu. These updates are being released gradually to users.