How do I turn on voice transcription in a Telegram group?
Four steps, done by a group admin.
-
Add the bot to the group
Add to a groupPick the group and confirm with Add. Already there? Go to step 2. On another device, open t.me/tinyfile_bot?startgroup=true in Telegram instead.
-
Make it an admin
Group settings → Administrators → Add Admin → TinyFile. Minimal rights are enough, for example only Delete messages. Telegram passes voice messages only to admin bots.
-
Send /transcribe_on
An admin sends it from their own account. The bot confirms with “🎙 Voice transcription is on.” and names who pays.
-
Send a voice message
Every voice message and video note up to 10 minutes gets a reply with its text. Any admin stops it with
/transcribe_off.
How much does it cost?
0.5 credit per minute of audio, counted by the second and paid by the admin who turned transcription on. People who send voice messages pay nothing.
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| Price | 0:07 – 0.06 credit, 0:30 – 0.25, 10:00 – 5 credits; at least 0.05 per message. Fractions add up and come off as whole credits, once the text is posted. |
| Who pays | The admin who sent /transcribe_on. When another admin sends it, they become the payer. |
| Which credits | Credits from a pack: they work in groups after the admin's first purchase. The 10 welcome credits are for the private chat with the bot and the Mini App. |
| Free | No speech found, a failed transcription, a voice message over 10 minutes. |
| Out of credits | Transcription pauses: one notice in the group, one private message to the payer. After a top-up it resumes on its own with the next voice message. |
| Payer is no longer an admin | Transcription pauses with one notice. Any admin sends /transcribe_on to take over, or it resumes when the payer is an admin again. |
Credit packs: 100, 250, 500 or 1000 credits for 100, 250, 500 or 950 ⭐, bought in the private chat with the bot. 100 credits cover up to 200 minutes.
What does the bot see?
Only voice messages and video notes, and only in groups where an admin turned transcription on.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is processed | Voice messages and video notes. Other messages aren't read or stored; the bot still answers its own commands. |
| Where the audio goes | To Google Gemini, a speech-to-text service. |
| What is kept | Not the audio: TinyFile doesn't keep it after transcription. Not the text either: it exists only as the bot's reply in your chat. The bot stores which group has transcription on, who pays, and the length and price of each message. |
| How to stop | Any admin sends /transcribe_off. Removing the bot from the group turns it off too; adding the bot back doesn't turn it on again. |
Full details in the privacy policy.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I make @tinyfile_bot an admin of the group?
Open the group's settings, go to Administrators and add TinyFile. Minimal rights are enough, for example only Delete messages.
- iPhone and iPad: group name at the top → Edit → Administrators → Add Admin → TinyFile → Done.
- Android: group name at the top → ✏️ → Administrators → Add Admin → TinyFile → ✓.
- Telegram Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux): group name at the top → Manage group → Administrators → Add Administrator → TinyFile → Save.
- Telegram Web: group name at the top → ✏️ → Administrators → TinyFile → ✓.
The bot isn't in the group yet? Add it first.
Who can turn transcription on and off?
Only group admins. Others get “Only chat admins can turn transcription on or off.”
/transcribe_on– an admin sends it from their own account and pays from then on. Sent on behalf of the group (anonymous admin), it gets a request to use a personal account./transcribe_off– any admin, not only the one who turned it on.- Both commands appear in the / menu for admins only.
Which messages does the bot transcribe?
Voice messages and video notes (the round videos) up to 10 minutes, from any member of the group.
- Regular videos, audio files and text messages aren't transcribed.
- Longer than 10 minutes – a short “too long” reply.
- Silence, music or noise – “No speech found.”
- A long text arrives in several replies.
Does the bot translate voice messages?
No. The text comes in the language that was spoken; if someone switches languages, each part stays in its own language. Filler sounds like “uh” and “um” are left out, numbers are written as digits, punctuation is added.
Why did the bot stop transcribing?
- A pause notice in the chat – the payer ran out of credits or is no longer an admin; see how much it costs.
- The bot is no longer an admin – voice messages stop reaching it. Make it an admin again and transcription resumes.
- The bot was removed – that turns transcription off. After adding it back, an admin sends
/transcribe_onagain. - An admin sent
/transcribe_off– send/transcribe_onto turn it back on.
Can the bot transcribe voice messages in a private chat?
No. Transcription works only in groups and supergroups. The private chat with the bot, Telegram Business and channels aren't supported.
Do /img and /video still work once the bot is an admin?
Yes. /img, /video and /model work as usual, no need to add the bot's name. /start and /help reach an admin bot only with its name: /help@tinyfile_bot.