There are times when it makes sense to type a message in WhatsApp, and others when it is better to send a voice message. As the recipient of a voice message, it may not be convenient or possible to listen straight way.

Now WhatsApp has finally added the solutions users have been asking for -- transcripts. This long-awaited feature provides a text version of an audio message so you can read it instead of listening to it.

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WhatsApp is aware of the privacy concerns held by so many people, so it is quick to point out that transcribing is an on-device operation, with nothing being sent to the cloud: "Transcripts are generated on your device so that no one else, not even WhatsApp, can hear or read your personal messages".

There is more than one way to take advantage of the feature as WhatsApp explains in a blog post about its introduction:

To get started, go to Settings > Chats > Voice message transcripts to easily turn transcriptions on or off and select your transcript language. You can transcribe a voice message by long pressing on the message and tapping on 'transcribe'. We're excited to build on this experience and make it even better and more seamless.

The rollout is underway now, and WhatsApp says voice message transcripts should be available globally within a matter of weeks. For now, English, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian are the supported languages, but this list will expand over time.