Facebook is testing audio message transcription in Messenger

If you are in no position to type out a message, or you simply can’t be bothered, then audio messages are a great way to go. But what if your recipient isn’t fond of listening to messages, or is in a place where they can’t listen to what you sent? Facebook’s working on it.

The social networking giant is working on a feature that transcribes audio clips sent via the Facebook Messenger app, and it gives users the option of reading a transcription if they’d rather not listen to the message itself.

David Marcus, Facebook vice president of messaging products, said:

“We are starting to roll out a small test that helps people read the voice clips they receive instead of having to play them out loud. So, for example, if you’re at a concert or in a meeting, and would prefer to read a voice clip from a friend, you now can if you’re part of the small test we’re rolling out. Our plan is to test this feature at a tiny scale for now and we’re looking forward to seeing what you think of it before making the experience more widely available.”

The testing is still in the early stages, but a limited number of Messenger users will find that they will be able to take advantage of the feature.