Voice memo, step by step

How to transcribe a voice memo

How to transcribe a voice memo: the steps that take the voice memo and turn it into text, with the export that comes back. Free $0, 3 files a day.

3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps
In short

iPhone keeps the recording on its own servers, and the first step is to bring it down. The speakers of the voice memo are told apart on request. The free plan is $0 with 3 files a day, and one file may be 30 minutes.

How it works

How to transcribe a voice memo, step by step

  1. 1

    Record the memo

    Open the Voice Memos app and record with the built-in or with an external microphone.

  2. 2

    Share the file

    The Share sheet of the app sends the file through AirDrop, through Mail or through Messages.

  3. 3

    Or read the built-in text

    The app transcribes the memo with iOS 18 on an iPhone 12 or a newer one, but the file is what this page needs.

  4. 4

    Check the names against the agenda

    Two voices in the voice memo are told apart when the split is on. Name them in the editor and the export keeps the names.

  5. 5

    Split a long recording into parts

    A file over 30 minutes on the free plan has to be cut. The parts keep their own timecodes, so the order of the text stays the order of the talk; the Pro plan takes a recording of any length.

The result

What comes back from the engine

  • TXT

    One segment per line, the way a person wrote it down. It is the format to paste into a ticket, a chat or a document.

  • TXT, CSV

    The start and the end time of every segment, and the speakers named separately when you ask for it.

  • SRT, VTT

    SRT and VTT with the time of every line, so the recording can carry its own subtitles.

  • Markdown, DOCX

    The transcript is edited through the API and exported as Markdown for a wiki, or as DOCX for a review.

The facts

How iPhone stores the file, and what it says about it

Where the file is

The Voice Memos app of a phone records with the built-in microphone or with an external one, and the file stays in the app.

What can go wrong

The transcript of the app needs iOS 18 and an iPhone 12 or a newer one.

Length of one file

up to 30 minutes on the free plan, no minute limit on Pro

Free plan

$0: 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes per file, no card

The case

What the recording does not give you

The voice memo is already on your disk, and it already holds the whole meeting. The hour after a meeting is spent listening to it again, and it is spent badly, because the ears are tired. Send the voice memo through our own engine and it comes back as text, one segment per line.

Tips

  • Name the file of the voice memo after the meeting, not after the day.

  • iPhone gives the file, but the name of the file is yours to choose.

  • Check the length of the voice memo before the upload: 30 minutes is the limit of one file.

  • Over 30 minutes on the free plan a file has to be cut before sending; Pro has no minute limit.

  • Set the language of the voice memo yourself when you know it, or leave it on automatic detection.

FAQ

Questions about how to transcribe a voice memo

What are the steps to transcribe a voice memo?

The file of the voice memo is the input, and the engine reads it as it is: no conversion, no link, and no account.

What do I need before I transcribe a voice memo?

Bring the voice memo to your disk and upload it here; our own engine returns the text with the time of every line.

Do I need an account to transcribe a voice memo?

Our own engine reads the voice memo and keeps the time of every segment, so the work ends with a document.

What is in the file after I transcribe a voice memo?

Send the voice memo to the widget and the text comes back as a document, with the speakers on request.

Is there a faster way to transcribe a voice memo?

There is one step before the engine: the file of the voice memo has to be on your own disk.

Related pages

Sources

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    Pricing page (read 2026-10-25)transcrib.si · checked

Reading: 4 minutesUpdated Transcribsi editorial team

Drop a recording — the text arrives in a minute

Speakers by name, a time on every line, export to TXT, SRT, VTT, CSV and Markdown.

3 files a day up to 30 minutes, free99+ languagesSpeaker separation and timestamps