How to Transcribe a Voice Memo

You recorded something important in the Voice Memos app. Maybe meeting notes, a rambling idea at 2am, or a conversation you need to reference. Now you need it as text. Reasonable request, right?

Apple doesn’t make this obvious. The Voice Memos app has been around forever, but built-in transcription? That’s a more recent addition — and it only works on newer devices. Let’s sort this out.

Can You Transcribe a Voice Memo on iPhone?

Yes. But whether it’s easy depends entirely on which iPhone you have and which iOS version you’re running.

Apple added native transcription to Voice Memos in iOS 17.4 (released March 2024). If you have an iPhone 12 or newer with iOS 17.4+, you get transcription built right in. If you have an older phone or haven’t updated, you’re stuck exporting to other apps.

Here’s how to check: Settings → General → About → iOS Version

If you’re below 17.4, skip to the “Alternative Methods” section below.

How to Transcribe a Voice Memo on iPhone (Native Method)

For those with iOS 17.4 or later, here’s how to convert a voice memo to text:

1. Open the Voice Memos app
2. Tap the recording you want to transcribe
3. Tap the waveform to expand the player
4. Look for the Transcript button below the playback controls
5. Tap it — your transcript appears

The transcription happens on-device, which is nice for privacy. First-time setup requires downloading your language (about 50-100MB).

What If There’s No Transcript Button?

Few possibilities:

• Your iOS is below 17.4 — update your phone
• Your iPhone is older than iPhone 12 — native transcription requires newer hardware
• You haven’t downloaded the language pack — go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Dictation Languages
• The recording is too short or too noisy — Apple’s system needs reasonably clear audio

How to Transcribe a Voice Memo on Mac

macOS Sonoma (14.0) brought the same transcription feature to Mac:

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Select your recording
3. Click the recording to expand it
4. Look for Transcript in the sidebar or below the waveform
5. Click to view the full text

Same language download requirement applies. Your Mac will prompt you if needed.

If you’re on an older macOS version, the transcript feature won’t appear. You’ll need the alternative methods below.

Alternative Methods: How to Convert Voice Memo to Text

Don’t have the native feature? Here’s how to turn a voice memo into text using other tools.

Method 1: Use the Notes App (Free, Built-in)

This is janky but works:

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Tap … on your recording → Share
3. Choose Notes
4. Create a new note with the audio embedded
5. Play the audio and use Live Text (iOS 16+) or manually transcribe

Not automatic, but you can scrub through and type key points. Some people play the audio and dictate into a separate note, essentially re-recording as text.

Method 2: Upload to Otter.ai (Free Tier)

Otter is the go-to for voice memo transcription:

1. In Voice Memos, tap … → Save to Files
2. Go to otter.ai on your phone or computer
3. Create a free account (300 minutes/month free)
4. Upload the .m4a file
5. Get your transcript in seconds

Pros: Great accuracy, free tier is generous, can highlight and edit
Cons: Requires account, uploads your audio to their servers

Method 3: Use ChatGPT or Similar

If you have ChatGPT Plus:

1. Export voice memo to Files
2. Open ChatGPT
3. Upload the audio file
4. Ask “Please transcribe this audio”

Works surprisingly well. You can also ask for summaries, action items, or translations in the same conversation.

Method 4: Google Recorder (Android Users)

If you’re trying to transcribe voice memos from an iPhone on an Android device (maybe someone sent you the file):

1. Save the .m4a file
2. Open Google Recorder
3. Import the file
4. Automatic transcription

Google Recorder has excellent accuracy and works offline.

Method 5: Dedicated Transcription Apps

Several apps specialize in this:

• Rev Voice Recorder — records and transcribes, free app with paid transcription
• Whisper Transcription — uses OpenAI’s model, excellent accuracy
• Transcribe — simple interface, pay per minute
• Just Press Record — Apple Watch compatible, syncs transcriptions

Most offer some free minutes, then charge per-minute rates.

How to Get a Transcript of a Voice Memo for Free

Let’s be real — you probably don’t want to pay for occasional transcription. Here are genuinely free options:

Completely Free

• iOS 17.4+ built-in transcription — if your device supports it
• Google Recorder — Android, unlimited, offline capable
• Web Speech API tools — various free websites that transcribe in-browser

Free Tiers Worth Using

• Otter.ai — 300 minutes/month
• Notta.ai — 120 minutes/month
• Sonix — 30 minutes free trial

Free But Technical

• OpenAI Whisper — free if you run it locally
• Whisper.cpp — same model, runs on your computer
• Hugging Face — free API calls with limits

How to Turn a Voice Memo Into Text: Step-by-Step

Here’s the complete workflow for the most common scenario — you have an iPhone voice memo and need text:

If you have iOS 17.4+ (iPhone 12 or newer):

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Tap the recording
3. Tap the waveform to expand
4. Tap Transcript
5. Tap the share icon to copy or export the text
6. Done

If you have an older iPhone:

1. Open Voice Memos
2. Tap … on the recording
3. Tap Save to Files → choose location
4. Open Safari → go to otter.ai
5. Sign in or create free account
6. Tap Import → select your file
7. Wait 30-60 seconds
8. View, edit, and export transcript

If you’re on a computer:

1. Connect iPhone or access iCloud
2. Find the voice memo file (.m4a)
3. Upload to Otter, Sonix, or Notta
4. Or use local Whisper if you’re technical

Why Apple’s Transcription Sometimes Fails

Even with native transcription, you might run into issues:

• Background noise — coffee shops, street noise, multiple voices
• Accents — accuracy drops with strong accents
• Technical terms — jargon, names, and acronyms often garbled
• Multiple speakers — doesn’t separate who said what
• Low volume — if you spoke quietly, it struggles

Tips for better results:

• Record close to your mouth
• Minimize background noise
• Speak at a normal pace
• Re-record important sections if needed

Transcription Accuracy: What to Expect

Modern transcription is good. Not perfect.

For clear speech in a quiet environment, expect 95%+ accuracy. Good enough to capture the meaning, but you’ll need to fix names, technical terms, and the occasional weird word.

For noisy recordings or accented speech, accuracy drops to 80-90%. Still useful, but requires more editing.

For very difficult audio (crosstalk, heavy background music, whispers), you might get 60-70% accuracy. At that point, manual transcription might be faster.

The Real Problem With Voice Memo Transcription

Here’s what nobody mentions: you have to remember to transcribe in the first place.

You record a voice memo. Life happens. Three weeks later, you need that information. Now you’re opening Voice Memos, scrolling through dozens of recordings named “New Recording 47,” playing each one to find the right one, then transcribing it.

By the time you find it, you’ve wasted 20 minutes.

The transcription itself isn’t the hard part anymore — the technology handles that. The hard part is keeping your voice recordings organized so you can find them when you need them.

How to Turn Voice Memo Into Text on Different Platforms

Windows

If someone sent you an iPhone voice memo (.m4a file):

1. The file should play in Windows Media Player or VLC
2. Upload to Otter.ai, Sonix, or similar
3. Or install Whisper locally for offline transcription

Android

1. Save the .m4a file to your phone
2. Open Google Recorder
3. Import the audio file
4. View automatic transcript

Google Recorder works great with .m4a files despite being from iOS.

Web Browser

No installation needed:

1. Go to otter.ai, notta.ai, or speechnotes.co
2. Upload your voice memo file
3. Get transcript
4. Download or copy text

FAQ

Transcribing voice memos has gotten genuinely easy — if you know where to look. Apple finally added native transcription, and free tools like Otter fill the gaps for everyone else. The bigger challenge is keeping your voice recordings organized well enough that you can find them when transcription matters. Start there, and the rest follows.