iOS 18 brings a host of new features, including an upgraded Notes app that now allows you to record voice memos and have them transcribed in real-time as you speak.
The ability to record voice notes directly in the Notes app is incredibly useful for a variety of situations, such as lectures, interviews, or personal reflections. You can easily listen to the recordings, review the transcribed text, and even export the text for sharing purposes.
If you prefer, you can also use the Voice Memos app, which also includes transcription features in iOS 18.
Recording voice notes
To record a voice note in the Notes app, simply open a note on your iPhone, tap the paperclip icon on the toolbar, and select “Record Audio.” A recording interface will appear, allowing you to start, pause, and resume recording as needed. You can also record multiple segments within the same audio file.
Playback controls are intuitive, allowing you to listen to your recordings, skip forward or backward in 15-second increments, and switch between sound wave view and transcription view. The app also offers AI-generated summaries of your recordings for easy reference.
Once you’re satisfied with your recording, you can give it a name, view the transcription, and save it within the note.
Accessing voice notes
Voice recordings are displayed as embeds within notes, with each clip accompanied by a summary, title, and length. You can easily play back the recordings and access the full transcription within the note.
Additional options on the recording and transcription screen allow you to add the transcript to your note, copy it to the clipboard, search through the transcript, save the audio clip to the Files app, share it with other apps, or delete it permanently.
You can also apply transcription features to existing audio recordings by attaching a file to a note, which will display the transcription in the same manner as a live recording.
