Guide · updated October 1, 2026

How to transcribe Telegram voice messages to text (even without Premium)

Telegram's built-in transcription

Next to every voice message Telegram shows a small button with an arrow and an A. Tap it and the text appears under the voice message; tap it again to hide it. It also works with round video messages.

With Telegram Premium you can transcribe as many voice messages as you like. Without Premium Telegram only transcribes a few a week: if you get a lot of voice messages, they run out fast.

Why a transcript is not enough for long voice messages

A transcript keeps everything, word for word: the hesitations, the repetitions, the detours. An eight-minute voice message becomes a page you have to read in full, and the time or the address you need can be anywhere in it.

A summary with the to-dos

1. Open @tldlchannelbot and tap Start.
2. Press and hold the voice message in its chat, choose Forward, then TLDL.
3. Within seconds you get the key points and a list of to-dos, in the language of the voice message.

It works with voice messages up to 30 minutes and with ones forwarded to you from other chats. The first 10 summaries are free; after that you top up with Telegram Stars, from 25 ⭐ for 40 summaries.

Transcript or summary?

• Transcript, when you need the exact words, for example to quote someone.
• Summary, when you want to know what they are telling you and what you have to do, without reading it all.

What about privacy?

TLDL never stores the audio: it processes and discards it, and deletes the summary text as soon as it has been delivered. The details are in the privacy policy.

Open TLDL on Telegram Or on WhatsApp

More guides

• How to transcribe a WhatsApp voice message to text (and get a summary)

  Two ways to read a WhatsApp voice message without listening to it: WhatsApp's built-in transcripts, step by step, and a summary with the to-dos.

• WhatsApp voice messages too long? 5 ways to deal with them

  Play them at 2x, keep listening outside the chat, read them, get the gist, or kindly ask for shorter ones: what to do when voice messages go on forever.

• Telegram voice message summaries in seconds

  Forward a Telegram voice message to @tldlchannelbot and get the key points and to-dos within seconds. First 10 summaries free, then top-ups in Telegram Stars.

• Telegram voice messages too long? 5 ways to deal with them

  Play them faster, listen while doing something else, read them, get the gist, or kindly ask for shorter ones: how to survive endless voice messages on Telegram.