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Reply with voice notes on WhatsApp

Record and send voice notes directly from the inbox when replying to a WhatsApp conversation.

Written by Beth-Ann Sher

Record and send voice notes directly from the inbox when replying to a WhatsApp conversation. Your customer receives the message as a native WhatsApp voice note — exactly like one sent from the WhatsApp mobile app — and the recording is automatically transcribed so it stays searchable, exportable, and available as context for Fin and other AI features.

Note:

  • Voice note replies are currently available on WhatsApp conversations only.

  • Voice notes are sent on their own (text and a voice note can't be combined in the same reply, which matches WhatsApp's mobile behavior).


Record a voice note

  1. Open a WhatsApp conversation in your inbox. In the composer toolbar, alongside the existing inserters (emoji, attachments, GIFs), you'll see a new voice note button.

  2. Click the voice note button. The composer is replaced by the voice note recorder.

  3. Click Start recording to begin. The first time you use the feature, your browser will ask permission to use your microphone — accept to continue. The browser remembers this choice for future recordings.

  4. While recording, you'll see a live waveform and a timer. You can pause and resume at any time. Click pause when you're finished to move to preview.

Preview, send, or re-record

Once you stop recording, you can play back what you captured before sending.

If you're happy with the recording, click Send to deliver it. If you'd like to start over, click Delete and record again.

After sending

Your customer receives the voice note as a native WhatsApp voice message — the standard play-button bubble in their WhatsApp chat.

In your inbox, the voice note appears as a conversation part with playback controls. A short delay after sending, the voice note is automatically transcribed in the background. Once transcription completes, the placeholder text "Sent an audio clip" is replaced with the transcript.

The transcript means voice note replies are searchable in conversation history, included in conversation exports, and available as context for Fin and other AI features.


FAQs

Which conversations support voice notes?

Voice note replies are currently supported on WhatsApp conversations only. They aren't available on other channels at this time.

Can I send a voice note and text together?

No. WhatsApp doesn't support combining text and audio in a single message, so when a voice note is recorded, the text composer is hidden until the voice note is sent or deleted.

How long can a voice note be?

You can record for up to 15 minutes per voice note. The maximum file size is 16 MB, matching WhatsApp's audio message limit.

Why don't I see the voice note button?

A few things to check:

  • The conversation must be on the WhatsApp channel — the button doesn't appear on other channels.

  • Your workspace admin may have disabled the voice note inserter in workspace inserter settings.

  • Your browser must support audio recording (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari 17+ are supported) and you must grant microphone permission.

What happens if voice note transcription fails?

Voice note delivery is independent of transcription. If transcription fails or hasn't completed yet, the voice note is still delivered to your customer and the placeholder text "Sent an audio clip" is shown on the conversation part instead of a transcript.

Can collaborator seats record voice notes?

Yes. Voice note replies are available to all seat types that can reply to conversations, including collaborator seats.


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