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Voice clips are a quick way to ask a question, send a joke, or serenade a friend – but it's not always convenient to listen to them, especially on a packed train or in a cinema.

Facebook is hoping to make sure you never miss these audio clips again by rolling out a new feature that automatically transcribes any files sent as voice recordings.

The tool is being added to a 'small test' group of people using the Messenger app, but it is not known when it will be rolled out more widely.

The Californian firm's Messenger app lets people send voice clips to each other. From today, Facebook is adding a tool that automatically transcribes these clips by listening to the full clip and posting a typed version, below the audio. An example transcription is pictured

The announcement was made by Facebook's vice president of messaging products David Marcus.

'We're always working on ways to make Messenger more useful,' said Mr Marcus.

'Facebook offers a feature that lets people send voice clips to their friends without having to type the text.

'Today we are starting to roll out a small test that helps people read the voice clips they receive instead of having to play them out loud.

'So, for example, if you're at a concert or in a meeting, and would prefer to read a voice clip from a friend, you now can if you're part of the small test we're rolling out.

'Our plan is to test this feature at a tiny scale for now and we're looking forward to seeing what you think of it before making the experience more widely available.'

To send a voice clip on Facebook Messenger, tap the microphone icon, record the message and send.

Facebook's transcription tool works in a similar way to how Google Voice transcribes voicemail messages.

When a Google Voice user is left a voicemail, the system transcribes it into text and adds it to their Google Voice inbox.

The quality of the transcripts vary depending on the caller, the background noise, and whether the caller is using a microphone.

But Google claims the quality improves over time as the transcription system gets smarter.

For people who don't always have time to read all the links, or watch all the videos, posted by the friends on Facebook, the site also has a 'Save for later' tool. To save a link, open it and click the arrow in the top-right hand corner. From this menu, select 'Save [article name]' (pictured)

Facebook's tool follows the recent updates Google made to its Translate app (pictured). Users can now talk to the app and get a written translation of what they're saying, in real time, on the screen. The update began rolling out to both iOS and Android users last week 

Facebook's tool follows the recent updates Google made to its Translate app. 

Users can now talk to the app and get a written translation of what they're saying, in real time, on the screen. 

The update began rolling out to both iOS and Android users last week.

The move builds on Google's current tools, which offer written translation of 90 languages, as well spoken translations in a select number of languages on the Android app.