Transcription Errors
Noticing inaccuracies in your voice message transcriptions? Here's what you need to know.
What's happening?
You might notice that:
- Transcribed text doesn't accurately reflect the spoken content
- Filler words (um, uh, like) are included, making messages harder to read
- False starts and repeated words are transcribed verbatim instead of being cleaned up
- Certain words or phrases might be consistently misinterpreted
- Names, technical terms, or uncommon words may be transcribed incorrectly
- Some words might be missing entirely, replaced with underscores (____) in the transcript
Why is this happening?
WhatsApp's on-device AI transcription is designed to be convenient rather than perfect. The AI model must be small enough to run directly on your phone, which significantly limits its accuracy compared to larger cloud-based models. This size constraint means:
- The model cannot capture the full range of speech patterns, accents, and vocabulary
- It often transcribes filler words and false starts verbatim rather than intelligently filtering them
- When it cannot recognize a word with confidence, it may insert underscores (____) instead
- It lacks the contextual understanding to correct errors based on the surrounding conversation
Unlike more sophisticated transcription services, WhatsApp's on-device solution prioritizes convenience over accuracy.
What can you do?
- Speak clearly and at a moderate pace when recording important voice messages
- Minimize background noise when recording
- For important messages, review the transcription for accuracy
- Report significant errors to WhatsApp to help improve the system
- Remember that the feature is meant as an aid, not a perfect replacement for listening
Need more accurate transcriptions?
Our Transcriber for WhatsApp service uses advanced cloud-based AI that provides more accurate results, especially for specialized content or challenging audio conditions.