To turn a voice memo into text, save the recording from the Voice Memos app to Files, then drop the M4A file into the box above. Whisper large-v3-turbo transcribes it, and your first file gets a free preview of the first 3 minutes. Unlock the whole memo (from $1.49, by length) to download it as TXT, DOCX or SRT.
How to transcribe a voice memo
- Save the memo as a file. In Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap the three-dot menu, then Share and Save to Files. On a Mac, you can drag a recording out of the Voice Memos app onto the desktop.
- Drop the M4A here. Tap the box above and pick the file from Files, or drag it in on a computer. The audio is prepared in your browser and uploaded in short parts.
- Read and download. Check the free preview, then unlock the full memo (most memos under 15 minutes are $1.49) and download a TXT, DOCX or SRT file.
Voice Memos' built-in transcript or DropTranscribe?
If your iPhone shows a transcript inside Voice Memos and that is all you need, use it: it is free. DropTranscribe is useful when you want a file with a timestamp on every line, an SRT subtitle file, a transcript of a memo recorded on another device, or a transcript in one of the more than 90 languages Whisper supports.
Other recordings
Android recorder apps, WhatsApp audio and dictaphones usually save M4A, MP3 or WAV, which work the same way. See M4A to text, MP3 to text and transcribing audio on iPhone. For video, see MP4 to text.
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Questions
How do I transcribe an iPhone voice memo to text?
On iPhone 12 or later with a recent iOS version, the Voice Memos app can show and copy a transcript in supported languages. Open the recording, tap the three-dot menu, then View Transcript or Copy Transcript. To get a timestamped TXT or SRT file instead, share the memo to Files, then drop the M4A file into DropTranscribe on your phone or computer. The first 3 minutes are a free preview.
What format are iPhone voice memos, and do they work here?
iPhone Voice Memos are saved as M4A files (AAC audio). DropTranscribe opens M4A directly in Safari, Chrome and other modern browsers, so there is nothing to convert. Recordings up to 120 minutes and 500 MB work. The transcript is in the language you spoke, with a timestamp on every line; speakers are not labelled. An English translation is optional after unlocking.
Last updated 2026-10-16.