How Long of a Voice Memo Can You Send on iMessage

You’ve just recorded a beautiful 10-minute voice memo explaining something important to your friend—maybe directions, a rant about your boss, or the plot of a movie they absolutely need to watch. You hit share, select their name in Messages, and… nothing happens. Or worse, it “sends” but they never receive it.

What gives? How long of a voice memo can you send on iMessage anyway?

The answer is more complicated than it should be, because Apple has created two completely different systems for sending audio—and they have wildly different limits.

Wait, There Are Two Different Things?

Yes, and this confuses everyone. Let me break it down:

iMessage Audio Messages — These are quick recordings made directly inside the Messages app. You tap the + button, select Audio, record, and send. These work only between Apple devices (blue bubbles) and technically have no hard time limit.

Voice Memos Shared via Text — These are recordings from Apple’s Voice Memos app that you share through Messages. They get sent as file attachments, and here’s where size limits become a problem.

Most people searching “how long of a voice memo can I send on iMessage” are actually running into the second scenario—they recorded something in Voice Memos and can’t figure out why it won’t send.

iMessage Audio Messages: The Good News

If you’re sending audio to another iPhone user (blue bubbles), you can record surprisingly long messages directly in the Messages app.

Here’s how it works in iOS 17 and later:

1. Open Messages and tap a conversation
2. Tap the + button
3. Select Audio
4. Tap the red record button
5. Talk as long as you want
6. Tap Stop, then Send

How long can a voice memo be to text this way? I’ve tested messages up to 30 minutes without issues. The audio gets compressed and sent over Apple’s iMessage servers, which handle large files much better than traditional MMS.

But there’s a catch: These audio messages default to disappearing after 2 minutes once listened to. You can change this in Settings → Messages → Audio Messages → Expire → Never. Otherwise, your epic 15-minute story vanishes into the void.

The MMS Problem: Green Bubble Limits

Here’s where things get frustrating. How long of a voice memo can you send over text when the recipient has an Android phone (green bubble)?

Not very long.

When you’re not using iMessage, your audio gets sent as an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) attachment. And MMS is ancient technology with ancient limitations:

• Most carriers limit MMS to 1-3.5 MB
• A compressed voice recording uses about 25-30 KB per second
• That means roughly 1-2 minutes maximum for most carriers
• Some carriers limit it even further to 300 KB (about 10 seconds)

So how long can a voice memo be to text an Android user? Maybe a minute if you’re lucky. Maybe 30 seconds. Your 10-minute masterpiece? Not happening over MMS.

This isn’t Apple’s fault per se—it’s a carrier limitation. But it’s still infuriating when you don’t know why your message won’t send.

Sharing Voice Memos: The File Size Reality

When you record in the Voice Memos app and try to share via Messages, you’re sending an actual audio file. The question becomes: how big is that file?

Compressed format (default):

• 1 minute ≈ 0.5 MB
• 5 minutes ≈ 2.5 MB
• 10 minutes ≈ 5 MB
• 30 minutes ≈ 15 MB

Lossless format:

• 1 minute ≈ 3-4 MB
• 5 minutes ≈ 15-20 MB
• 10 minutes ≈ 30-40 MB

If you’re sending to an iPhone via iMessage, files up to about 100 MB will send (though larger files may take forever on slow connections).

If you’re sending to Android via MMS, anything over 1-3 MB is probably getting rejected by someone’s carrier. And neither you nor the recipient will get a clear error message about what went wrong.

How to Send a Long Voice Memo on iPhone

Okay, so you have a long recording and need to actually get it to someone. Here are your real options:

Option 1: Send Through iMessage (iPhone to iPhone)

If the recipient has an iPhone (blue bubble), you can usually send voice memos up to about 100 MB through iMessage. Here’s how:

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Tap the recording
3. Tap the three dots (…)
4. Tap Share
5. Select Messages
6. Choose the recipient and send

For really long recordings (over an hour), expect it to take a while to upload and send. But it should work.

Option 2: Use AirDrop (Nearby Apple Devices)

AirDrop has no practical size limit and transfers files almost instantly:

1. Make sure both devices have Bluetooth and WiFi enabled
2. Open Voice Memos
3. Share the recording
4. Select AirDrop
5. Tap the recipient’s device when it appears

This is the fastest way to send any voice memo, regardless of length. The only downside: you need to be physically near the person.

Option 3: Send via Email

Email attachments can usually handle 20-25 MB, which covers recordings up to about 45 minutes in compressed format:

1. Voice Memos → tap recording → … → Share → Mail
2. Add recipient email
3. Send

For longer recordings, most email clients will offer to send via a cloud link instead (like Mail Drop for Apple Mail).

Option 4: Cloud Storage Links

This is the best option for really long voice memos:

1. Share to Files, Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud Drive
2. Upload completes
3. Get a shareable link
4. Send that link via any method you want

The recipient clicks the link and plays or downloads the file. No size limits, works for anyone, no app download required.

Option 5: Use a Messaging App Without Limits

Apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal all have much higher file size limits than MMS:

• WhatsApp: 16 MB for media, 2 GB for files
• Telegram: 2 GB files
• Signal: 100 MB attachments

Share your Voice Memo directly to one of these apps if the recipient uses them.

How to Send a Long Voice Memo on iPhone to Android

This deserves its own section because it’s the scenario that frustrates people most.

MMS won’t work for anything over a minute or two. Your options:

1. Email — Share the voice memo via email. Works on any device.

2. Cloud link — Upload to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud Drive, then send the link via text. They can play it in their browser.

3. Cross-platform app — If they use WhatsApp, Telegram, or similar, share directly to that app.

4. Compress the file — Voice Memos’ “Compressed” quality setting creates smaller files. You might squeeze a few more seconds through MMS.

The frustrating truth: there’s no great native solution for sending long voice memos to Android users via text. Apple’s ecosystem just wasn’t designed for this.

Why Doesn’t My Voice Memo Send?

If your voice memo isn’t sending, here’s what’s probably happening:

File too large for MMS

• You’re texting an Android user
• The carrier rejected the attachment
• Solution: Use email or cloud link

iMessage isn’t working

• Check Settings → Messages → iMessage is on
• Verify internet connection
• Try toggling iMessage off and back on

Recipient’s phone rejected it

• Their carrier has stricter limits
• Their phone is out of storage
• Solution: Send a smaller clip or use a different method

Recording is still uploading

• Large files take time on slow connections
• Wait for the progress indicator to complete
• Don’t close Messages while it’s uploading

iCloud sync interfering

• If Voice Memos is syncing to iCloud, sometimes it locks the file
• Wait for sync to complete, then try sharing again

The Expiring Message Problem

Here’s something that bites people constantly: even if your long audio message sends successfully via iMessage, it might disappear before the recipient listens to it.

By default, iMessage audio messages expire 2 minutes after being listened to. Your recipient listens once, gets distracted, comes back… and it’s gone.

Fix this immediately:

Settings → Messages → Audio Messages → Expire → Never

Tell your recipients to do the same. Or better yet, send voice memos from the Voice Memos app instead of recording in Messages—those don’t expire.

What About Really Long Recordings?

How long of a voice memo can you send if you recorded a 3-hour lecture or an all-day interview?

Let’s be realistic:

• A 3-hour recording in compressed format is about 90 MB
• iMessage might handle it, but it’ll take forever
• Email won’t work (too large)
• Most messaging apps max out at a few hundred MB

Your best bet for anything over 30 minutes:

1. Upload to cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud)
2. Share the link
3. Let them stream or download

This is how podcasters and journalists handle long audio files. It’s not elegant, but it works.

The Real Problem With Voice Memos

Let’s step back for a second. The length and size limits are annoying, but they’re symptoms of a bigger issue: Voice Memos wasn’t designed for sharing.

It was designed for personal recordings. The sharing features feel bolted on because… they were.

When you share a voice memo, you’re dealing with:

• File size limits across multiple systems
• Format compatibility questions
• No way to send just a clip without editing first
• No confirmation the recipient actually received it
• No way to track if they listened
• No context about what the recording was about

For quick personal notes? Voice Memos is fine. For actually communicating with other people? It’s held together with duct tape.

Quick Reference: Voice Memo Sending Limits

Sending Method Size/Length Limit Best For iMessage audio (in Messages) Practically unlimited Quick messages to iPhone users Voice Memo via iMessage ~100 MB Longer recordings to iPhone users Voice Memo via MMS 1-3 MB (~1-2 min) Very short clips to Android Email attachment 20-25 MB (~45 min) Medium recordings to anyone Cloud link Unlimited Long recordings to anyone AirDrop Unlimited Any length to nearby Apple devices

Tips for Sending Long Voice Memos Successfully

1. Check the bubble color first — Blue means iMessage (more forgiving), green means MMS (strict limits)

2. Use compressed format — Settings → Voice Memos → Audio Quality → Compressed. Your 10-minute recording shrinks from 40 MB to 5 MB

3. Default to cloud links — When in doubt, upload and share a link. Works every time

4. Test with a short clip first — Before sending something important, send a 10-second test to make sure the delivery method works

5. Don’t assume it arrived — Ask the recipient to confirm they got it, especially for long or important recordings

6. Turn off expiration — Settings → Messages → Audio Messages → Expire → Never

Final Thoughts

So, how long of a voice memo can you send on iMessage? The honest answer: it depends entirely on who you’re sending to and how you’re sending it.

iPhone to iPhone via iMessage? You’re basically unlimited.

iPhone to Android via text? Maybe a minute, if you’re lucky.

The whole system is unnecessarily complicated because Apple built two different audio messaging systems and neither talks to the rest of the world gracefully.

For anything longer than a minute or two, skip the frustration and send a cloud link. It works every time, for any length, to any device. It’s not as elegant as just hitting send, but at least you’ll know it actually arrives.