Make the most of your voice memo appYour iPhone is packed with productivity tools, but you don’t have to download a dozen apps for your device to become a true time-saver. Apple’s voice memo app alone can add to your productivity, help you keep track of your appointments and reminders, and act as your personal assistant. Use Voice Memos to record conversations, meetings, lectures, and the great idea you had while driving or walking the dog. You can even record a phone call on your iPhone by using the Voice Memos app. The app is easy to locate—you’ll find it in your Utilities folder, though you can move it wherever you’d like, or ask Siri to open it for you. It’s easy to use. It’s available on iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, and Apple computers. And best of all, it’s free. There’s no time limit for recordings (it’s dependent on the internal storage capacity of your device), so you can likely record that entire lecture without worry. Scroll down for tips that take you beyond voice memo recording and to all of the truly cool things you can do with a voice memo app. This may just inspire you to take a deeper dive into your devices’ features, learning the things you didn’t know your iPad could do, tips for screen recording on an iPhone, and these iPhone hacks you’re really going to wish you knew sooner.
RD.com, Getty ImagesRD.com, Getty Images Record a voice memoThere are a whole host of reasons you might make good use of a voice memo app. Maybe your boss loves to have walking meetings, but you’re not quite skilled at walking, note-taking, …and not running into a tree. Maybe you’re meeting colleagues for a brainstorming dinner and want to keep track of everyone’s ideas. Or maybe you need a quick way to take down a brilliant idea—for a business, a birthday gift, you name it—during your commute. It’s incredibly easy to use your iPhone’s Voice Memos app. (Just be sure to ask the other person’s permission first!) Here’s how:
Boom! You’re recording your conversation. Ready to learn another iPhone trick? Keep reading, or find out how to hide apps you don’t use often. RD.com, Getty Images Pause a recordingWhile you may often record straight through without breaks, there are times when you may want to pause a recording. For instance, during an important lunch meeting with colleagues, you really don’t need to keep track of your coworkers ordering coffee at Starbucks. This iPhone trick will also be helpful during conversations with long pauses or when you’re put on hold. Here’s how to do it:
RD.com, Getty Images Stop a recordingWhen you’re done recording your conversation, remember to actually stop the recording or you’ll be stuck with a really long voice memo that eats into your storage space. Here’s how to do it:
Wondering how to lock apps? It’s actually really easy. RD.com, Getty Images Delete a recordingNot every recording is worth saving. If you decide you don’t need yours, it’s easy to delete. Here’s how to do that
In the mood to get rid of unnecessary digital junk? Find out how to permanently delete apps, then trash the ones you never use. RD.com, Getty Images Recover a recently deleted recordingIf you delete the wrong file, don’t panic. Just as you can recover deleted photos, you can recover recently deleted recordings. Just follow the steps below.
One thing to bear in mind: you only have about 30 days to recover deleted files. RD.com, Getty ImagesRD.com, Getty Images Save a recording in the Voice Memos appIf you’re satisfied with your recording, you’ll want to save it. Thankfully, a voice memo on iPhone saves automatically. As soon as you stop a recording, it’ll save in the Voice Memos app and appear in your All Recordings list. Yep, it’s actually as simple as that. Speaking of saving…Here’s how to save the battery life on your iPhone so you never have to worry about running on empty. RD.com, Getty Images Rename your recordingBe sure to give your file a new name so you’ll be able to find it easily in the future. Here’s how to do that:
Keep improving your iPhone skills by learning how to view and delete your iPhone’s call history. RD.com, Getty Images Save a recording to an iCloud folderWhile Voice Memos automatically saves a recording, you may want to save it to iCloud for extra security—or so you can access it from any device. By following the steps below, you’ll ensure your voice memo remains in the app and in your chosen folder.
RD.com, Getty Images Organize recordings in Voice Memos foldersIf you use the voice memo app often, you may want to organize your recordings to make them easier to find, just as you would organize your apps for easier access. You can group them in folders, which you’ll find on the main Voice Memos screen. Here’s how to move a voice memo to a folder:
RD.com, Getty Images Crop a recordingThere are many reasons why you might want to crop your new file. Musicians often use the Voice Memos app and then crop out the bits they don’t want to share. One thing to keep in mind: While the crop icon looks the same as in Voice Memos as it does in other apps, the function is actually called Trim.
You can also delete an entire portion of your recording. With the section selected (it’ll be yellow), tap the Delete button. Remember, Trim removes everything except the yellow segment, while Delete removes the yellow segment. RD.com, Getty Images Replace sections of a recordingIf you mumbled or coughed in the middle of an important voice memo, fear not! It’s really easy to record over the bits you don’t like.
The great news: You can do this in as many places as you like to make sure you’re happy with the entire recording. With that sense of accomplishment, you’ll be ready to learn how to get the most out of your iPhone’s Do Not Disturb feature. RD.com, Getty Images Speed up or slow down a recordingIf a fast or slow talker is making your voice memo sound weird, or if you need to speed up or slow down a section of music, you can do that easily with the voice memo app.
RD.com, Getty Images Automatically skip silences in a recordingUnlike in real life, it’s really easy to remove awkward silences from recordings in your Voice Memos app.
Psst! It’s also really easy to delete all of the photos on your iPhone—without losing them. RD.com, Getty Images Enhance a recordingWhile writing this article, I was typing in the background. I also coughed quite a few times, which didn’t sound amazing on my recording. If you have street noises or other background sounds on your voice memo or just want to create a more professional recording, you can easily enhance it, just as I did.
RD.com, Getty Images Duplicate a recordingBefore you edit any recording, you probably should make a backup. That way, if you end up hating your edits, you always have a fresh copy of the original. It’s also helpful if you want to compare the original with the edits.
Talk about an iPhone hack that’ll save your sanity: Here’s how to stop spam calls for good. RD.com, Getty Images Copy a recordingI like to keep copies of all my important files in several places. If a file becomes corrupted, I can head to my backup and work from there. Here’s how to copy a recording in your iPhone Voice Memos app.
From there, you can paste the voice memo into an email or text to send to yourself (or someone else) as a backup. RD.com, Getty Images Share a recordingThere are many reasons why you might want to share your recording. Maybe your colleagues want a copy of that daylong meeting you recorded or you’re sending your audio notes to someone for transcription. The Voice Memos app makes sharing your file super simple; just follow the steps below.
RD.com, Getty Images Record a phone callMaybe you’re speaking with a lawyer and want to catch every last detail. Or maybe you’re interviewing someone. Whatever your reason, it’s helpful to know how to record a phone conversation. Apple doesn’t make that easy—you can’t record a call in Voice Memos while you’re on your phone. But there’s a workaround: Use two devices.
Originally Published: April 06, 2022 Where is this phone's voice recorder?Swipe down from the top of the phone screen twice to open the Quick Settings menu. You may need to swipe left to locate the Screen Recorder app. Tap on it and then tap Start now. The Screen Recorder menu will come up on the screen with the buttons for Record, Settings, and Close/Stop.
Where is the voice recording icon?Launch the My Files app. Under categories select Audio. Select Voice Recorder.
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