Hi Discourse team,
I’d like to suggest a new feature that would make a huge difference for accessibility and engagement in the Discourse platform: native support for recording and posting audio messages directly in topics and replies, along with automatic audio-to-text transcription (similar to what Instagram and WhatsApp offer). I saw some discussions about plugins and components for this capability, including the information that the one available it is not working now. As I do not have the expertise to even install a plugin from github myself and try, a native tool embedded in the system just with an enable/disable toggle would be wonderful for lay end users like me =)
Why this feature?
For many people, typing is not always the most effective or accessible means of communication. This may include:
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People with disabilities or temporary injuries that make typing difficult.
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Community members who prefer speaking due to literacy levels or comfort.
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Users on mobile who want faster, hands-free communication.
Allowing users to record and post audio (voice notes) including in comments directly would dramatically reduce participation barriers and make Discourse communities more inclusive.
Why is transcription important?
Automatic transcription of voice messages would ensure that all users—including those who can’t listen to audio (for example, due to hearing impairments or when they’re in a quiet environment)—can still participate and engage fully with content on the platform.
Integrating this natively (as Instagram, WhatsApp, or Google Messages do), would bring Discourse platforms closer to state-of-the-art inclusivity and accessibility standards.
What has been tried so far?
I saw there have been previous community solutions:
However, most of these are either not actively maintained, not fully integrated, or lack transcription features. There is clear ongoing interest from the community regarding audio features and integrated voice-to-text.
Suggested functionality
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Allow direct recording of audio (voice notes) in the composer for topics and replies.
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Support uploading audio files as an alternative.
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Integrate with a speech-to-text service to automatically generate and display a transcript with each audio post.
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Option to edit or correct transcriptions before posting.
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Moderation controls to manage and review audio content.
Closing
This feature would set Discourse apart as an inclusive, modern platform that supports a diverse range of users and situations.
Thank you for considering this! I (and others in the community) would be really excited to see any movement in this direction.