Microsoft's Skype app now lets you transcribe voice notes

Microsoft rolled out the voice message transcription feature in the middle of last month, but it’s available only for Skype Insiders at that point in time. And finally, the wait is over if you’ve wanted to use the feature without becoming a Skype Insider.

The ability to transcribe voice memos is now available for all Skype users. What this means is that Skype users can now not only listen to voice notes but also be able to convert those into text, eliminating the need for you to take notes from long voice messages. Converting voice notes into text is also helpful because you don’t have to listen to them again if you miss something important in the message.

The new transcription capability is also helpful for people with hearing disabilities. Not only is it designed to make Skype more accessible but also the feature itself is easy to access. All you have to do is tap the “A with a pencil” icon and Skype will show you the voice note in text format. The transcription will be available right below the voice note. You can continue hearing the voice note while Skype transcribes it for you.

Apart from the transcription capability, Microsoft also rolled out the Channels feature to give users access to news in a structured format. It shows news from your favorite publishers and topics you’re interested in the most. Hopefully, we’ll get more useful new features in Skype in the coming months. Of course, we’ll keep you updated about those.