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How to record audio on iPhone, and the top 5 voice recorder apps

Did you know that your iPhone can double as a voice recorder? Add it to the list of all the useful things that your iPhone can do with a single tap. Whether you’re recording an interview, a lecture, or your favorite band, here’s how to record audio on iPhone.

Record audio on iPhone using Voice Memos

Looking for a quick and easy way to record audio on iPhone? The Voice Memos app is already installed on your iPhone, allowing you to use it as a portable recording device. You can use it to record just about anything, and you can also tidy up your recordings with some basic editing tools.

How long can you record audio on an iPhone?

While there isn’t a specific time limit for how long your audio recording on iPhone can be, they do take up quite a bit of space, so your time limit will depend on your available internal storage capacity. 

If you know you’ll be recording for over a few minutes, be proactive by ensuring you have plenty of storage. Photo clutter usually eats up the most storage space, and an app like CleanMy®Phone can help you remove unneeded files, such as duplicates, screenshots, and screen recordings, and free up space for more important things.

How to record voice or other sound on iPhone

Once you know that you have plenty of space on your iPhone, you can start recording. Note that Voice Memos uses your internal microphone for recordings. For better sound quality, you can use an external microphone. Here’s how to record audio using your iPhone and the Voice Memos app:

  1. Open Voice Memos on your iPhone (if you can’t find it, it may be in a Utilities folder).
  2. Tap the red record circle at the bottom of the screen.
  3. Tap the red square to stop recording.
  4. Your audio recording will be automatically saved as the address or the name of the location where the file was recorded.

How to edit an audio recording with Voice Memos

Once you’ve created your recording, you can easily go back and delete sections, replace sections, change the file name, or trim the audio. Here’s how to edit your audio recording using Voice Memos:

  1. Open the recording you want to edit with Voice Memos.
  2. Tap on the title of the recording to highlight it and change the name.
  3. Tap the three dots under the file name and choose Edit Recording.
  4. To replace and re-record part of your audio, scroll through the recording until the blue play head is at the beginning of the spot you want to replace.
  5. Tap replace and record the new section, then tap the pause button.
  6. To trim from either end of your recording, tap the crop icon and then drag the yellow handles inward from the ends.
  7. Tap Trim.
  8. Use the same yellow handles to delete part of your recording by dragging them to enclose the part you want to delete and tapping Delete.

The 5 best audio recorder apps for iPhone

Voice Memos is a free and simple app that is useful for most voice recordings, but if you find yourself doing more complex recordings, you may want a more robust app to record audio on iPhone. Here are a few we’d recommend.

1. Awesome Voice Recorder

Awesome Voice Recorder (AVR) is a free app that allows you to select the quality of the recording you want to create, choose mono or stereo sound, and save the file in a few different formats, including MP3, M4A, or WAV. You can also tag sections of your recording so they are easier to find and resume recording after pausing up to three minutes. AVR can also be used to decrease background noise in your recordings. Some of the premium features require that you use AVR pro, which requires an additional fee.

Awesome Voice Recorder on the App Store

2. AudioShare

If you want to record music on your iPhone, spend $5.99 and download AudioShare, which allows you to transfer files easily to your computer, record from an external microphone, fade in and out, and use an advanced editing interface to make your recordings sound exactly the way you want them to. AudioShare makes it easy to work with a large number of files. Record directly into the app or import files from all of your music-making apps into a central hub. This is the perfect app for musicians who use a lot of different apps to record and share their creations.

AudioShare on the App Store

3. Voice Recorder & Audio Editor

If you are a student or journalist looking for an audio recorder that also transcribes your files, check out the premium version of Voice Recorder & Audio Editor. The voice recorder is free to use, but transcription requires the premium version. With the free version, you can also change the file format and trim out parts of the recording that you don’t need. The premium version is $1.99 per month and enables you to quickly transcribe the recording, take notes, and transfer your sound files to your computer.

Voice Recorder & Audio Editor on the App Store

4. Call Recorder

This audio recorder is great for recording phone calls and is perfect for journalists or other media professionals. You can record incoming and outgoing calls with a few taps and then access your recordings as soon as the call is over. You can also use Call Recorder to record voice memos and transcribe them to text. Many of the features of Call Recorder are free, but a premium subscription allows you to create unlimited recordings for $7.99 a month.

Call Recorder on the App Store

5. Voice Recorder – Audio Record

If you find yourself struggling to record voices from a distance, try Voice Recorder – Audio Record, which picks up voices from as far as 30 to 300 feet away and allows you to select the quality of your recording to save space on your iPhone. Each recording is automatically uploaded to Dropbox, so it’s perfect for business professionals who already use that to share files. This easy-to-use app is perfect for attending lectures, meetings, and conferences and recording every important minute. This app is available from the App Store for $4.99.

Voice Recorder – Audion Recording on the App Store

Voice or music recording on iPhone doesn’t have to be a hassle! Use Voice Memos for quick and easy recordings, or try out one of our recommended apps for more complex recordings.

Tara Schatz

Travel writer. Photographer. Lover of dogs and the outdoors.

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Tags: AppsAudio