WhatsApp messages by voice, written out
Instead of the voice note everyone hates to listen to, talk and DanDin writes a tidy text message in your dialect.
Yes, you can voice type in WhatsApp on a computer: in the Mac app, the Windows app, and WhatsApp Web in a browser. Click in the message box under the chat, hold the start key and talk in your dialect, then let go. DanDin writes a tidy text message into the box, and it stays there until you press send yourself. It is not a voice note: the person who gets it reads it in seconds instead of listening for a full minute.
How to voice type in WhatsApp
On a Mac
- Download DanDin, open it, and allow the microphone and Accessibility in System Settings. Accessibility is what lets it paste into WhatsApp.
- Open the chat in WhatsApp and click in the typing box under it, so the cursor blinks there.
- Hold the Fn (Globe) key, say your message, then let go. The message appears written in the box.
- Read it and press Enter to send. DanDin never sends anything for you.
On Windows
- Install DanDin on Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit) and allow the microphone the first time.
- Open the WhatsApp app, or web.whatsapp.com in Chrome or Edge, and click in the message box.
- Hold Ctrl + Win, talk, then let go of both keys.
- If you say a list, each point lands on its own line and stays in the box. WhatsApp only sends when you press Enter.
An example in WhatsApp
A reply in the family group
You say
hi everyone um about dinner on Thursday I think we make it at eight no wait at nine so dad is back from work and I will bring dessert and juice
DanDin types
Hi everyone, about dinner on Thursday, I think we make it at 9 so Dad is back from work, and I will bring dessert and juice.
The mic button or DanDin?
WhatsApp on a computer has no voice typing of its own. Its mic button sends a voice note, and the voice typing built into the computer has limits with Arabic. Here is what the WhatsApp, Microsoft and Apple pages say:
| DanDin | Without DanDin | |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp's mic button | Writes a text message into the box, and you send it | Records a voice message and sends it as sound [1] |
| Voice note to text | Happens before sending, and you check the text | Done by the person who receives it, on their device, starting with a few languages [2] |
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Arabic and English on Windows 10 and 11 | Its list has 46 languages, and Arabic is not one of them [3] |
| Mac Dictation | Adds commas and full stops, and drops the filler words | Supports Arabic, but Arabic is not on the auto-punctuation list [4] |
If you like sending your voice, the WhatsApp mic button is enough. If you want people to read your message instead of listening to it, and you write Arabic on Windows or want the punctuation done for you on a Mac, that is what DanDin is for.
Where these facts come from
Every cell in the second column is taken from that company’s own page. Here is the text as we read it, the link, and the day we read it.
[1] WhatsApp Help Center: How to send voice messages (WhatsApp Web)
Send a voice message: Open an individual or group chat. Click [icon] and start speaking. Once finished, click [icon].
https://faq.whatsapp.com/657157755756612/?locale=en_US&cms_platform=web (read )
[2] WhatsApp blog: Introducing Voice Message Transcripts (posted 21 November 2024)
Transcripts are generated on your device ... You can transcribe a voice message by long pressing on the message and tapping on 'transcribe'. ... Transcripts are rolling out globally over the coming weeks with a few select languages to start
https://blog.whatsapp.com/introducing-voice-message-transcripts (read )
[3] Microsoft's page on voice typing in Windows (a list of 46 languages; the word Arabic is not on the page)
These languages support voice typing in Windows 11: Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified, China), ... Turkish, Vietnamese.
[4] Apple's macOS feature availability page, Dictation section (Arabic is under on-device dictation, and absent under auto-punctuation)
Dictation: On-Device and Modeless Dictation: Arabic, Cantonese (Hong Kong), ... Dictation: Auto-Punctuation: Cantonese (China mainland), Cantonese (Taiwan), Chinese (Simplified), ...
Good to know in WhatsApp
- DanDin is for the computer only (Mac and Windows). WhatsApp on your phone is not covered.
- On a Mac it looks at the name of the open chat, so names come out spelled the way your chat shows them. It never replies for you: it only types what you said.
- If the internet drops while you talk, your recording is saved on your computer. Once you are back online, one tap on Retry on the pill sends it again.
- Add emoji and stickers by hand after the text is in.
Common questions
How do I voice type in WhatsApp on my computer?
Install DanDin, open the chat, and click in the message box. Then hold Fn on a Mac, or Ctrl + Win on Windows, talk, and let go. The message is typed into the box and you send it.
Does it work in WhatsApp Web in the browser?
Yes. DanDin types into any text box on the computer, including web.whatsapp.com in Chrome, Safari and Edge. The cursor has to be in the message box.
Does it send the message by itself?
No. DanDin pastes the text into the box and never presses Enter, so you read and fix the message before you send it.
Can I mix Arabic and English in one message?
Yes. The default Arabic + English mode keeps an English word in English letters and Arabic in Arabic letters. If you want everything in Arabic letters, pick Arabic only.