Can VocaLingo translate WhatsApp or Telegram calls?
No. VocaLingo can't join a WhatsApp or Telegram call. You can call the person's phone number with AI Calls or translate their voice messages instead.
Updated November 2, 20263 min read
A WhatsApp or Telegram call runs inside that app, and other apps on the phone can't hear it or speak into it. While the call is on, it also holds the microphone, so VocaLingo can't record anything at the same time. The same applies to Viber, Signal, FaceTime and other messenger calls, voice or video.
VocaLingo has three ways around this, depending on what you need.
Which option fits your situation
| What you need | Use | What the other person needs | How you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
Talk live with someone far away | AI Calls | A regular phone number. No app needed. | Tokens per minute, depends on the country |
Understand and answer voice messages | Translate audio | Nothing, they keep using WhatsApp or Telegram | Tokens for recognition, translation and voice-over of each message |
Talk face to face, in a shop, taxi or hotel | Tourist Translator | Nothing, you hold the phone between you | Tokens per minute of speech plus voice-over |
Call their phone number with AI Calls
AI Calls dial the person's regular phone number over the phone network and translate the conversation live. For most people this is the same number their WhatsApp or Telegram account is registered to.
Open AI Calls on the Tools tab and enter the number with the country code.
Choose Translation, set My language and Their language.
Set Outgoing audio to Voice-over translation so the other person hears you in their language.
Check the price per minute and tap Call.
The person gets an ordinary call from the shared VocaLingo US number, or from your own number if you verified it. Warn them in a message first: people often ignore unknown foreign numbers. A call to a US number costs about 6 tokens a minute with original audio, calls to other countries cost more. Details: how AI Calls work.
Translate voice messages instead of calling
If you and the other person can talk in voice messages, Translate audio does the job inside the chat you already use. It translates the message, and it can voice your reply in your own voice in their language.
In WhatsApp or Telegram, press and hold the voice message and tap Share. On iPhone in WhatsApp, tap Forward first, then the share icon.
Pick Translate Audio in VocaLingo in the share menu. The translation starts by itself.
To answer, tap Record a reply under the translation and say your reply in your language.
Tap Play to voice the translated reply, then share the audio back to the chat.
Step-by-step guides: how to share audio from messengers and translate a WhatsApp voice message. Sharing works in the iOS and Android apps, not in the web version.
Talk in person with Tourist Translator
When the other person is next to you, Tourist Translator works as a two-way interpreter: each of you taps your side, speaks and hears the translation aloud. For long speech such as a tour or a lecture, it switches to lecture mode by itself. See how Tourist Translator works.
Frequently asked questions
Can VocaLingo give me a number for WhatsApp or Telegram?
No. VocaLingo doesn't sell virtual numbers, and the shared VocaLingo number can't receive calls or SMS, so it can't be used to register a messenger account.
Can someone call me through VocaLingo with translation?
No. AI Calls only go out from the app. If you verified your number and the person calls it back, the call reaches your phone as usual, without translation.
Can I use VocaLingo inside Telegram?
Only through the share menu: forward a voice message, a video or a link from Telegram to VocaLingo and choose a tool. VocaLingo doesn't work inside Telegram itself.
Contact support
Describe the problem and we will reply by email. Add the file name or job ID if you have one.