Can you transcribe a voice memo on iPhone?

Yes. Since iOS 18, Voice Memos can show a transcript on iPhone 12 and later in about ten languages: tap the recording, tap the more button, then View Transcript. It has no speaker labels, and summaries need Apple Intelligence. For a speaker-labeled transcript and an AI summary on any iPhone, tap Share on the memo and choose Wave.

How do I convert a voice memo to text?

Share the memo from Voice Memos to the Wave AI app, or save it as an M4A file and upload it to Wave's free voice memo to text tool at wave.co/tools/voice-memo-to-text. Within a few minutes you'll have a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps, plus an AI summary you can copy into notes, email, or a doc.

Does the iPhone Voice Memos app transcribe automatically?

On iPhone 12 and later running iOS 18 or newer, Voice Memos transcribes recordings automatically in supported languages, though not in every country. Older iPhones don't get the feature. Wave AI doesn't depend on your phone model or iOS version: it transcribes the audio after you import it, so any memo works.

Can I transcribe old voice memos I already recorded?

Yes. Any existing recording works: share it from Voice Memos to Wave AI and it's transcribed and summarized like a fresh recording. There's no limit on how old the memo is; each file can be up to 10 hours long.

What languages can Wave transcribe voice memos in?

Wave AI transcribes 76 languages, compared with about ten for Apple's built-in Voice Memos transcription, and can translate a transcript. A memo recorded in Spanish, French, or Japanese comes back as clean text you can read or translate.

Is there a free way to transcribe voice memos?

Yes. Wave's free transcription tool at wave.co/tools/transcribe-audio needs no account, and the Wave AI app's free plan includes 30 minutes a month with speaker labels, summaries, and search. Wave Pro is unlimited for $15 a month or $80 a year on the web.

Transcribe Your Voice Memos Into Searchable Text

Last updated: November 3, 2026

To transcribe a voice memo, share it from Voice Memos to Wave AI (or upload the file to Wave's free transcription tool) and you get a speaker-labeled transcript and an AI summary in minutes, from any phone, in 76 languages. Apple's built-in Voice Memos transcript needs an iPhone 12 or later and supports about ten languages.

Transcribe a file free, no account needed

Voice memo to text M4A to text

How to transcribe a voice memo

How do I transcribe a voice memo on iPhone?

The fastest way is to send the memo straight from Voice Memos to Wave. Wave uploads it, transcribes it with speaker labels, writes a summary, and keeps it in your library.

Install Wave AI on your iPhone and sign in (free).
In Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap Share, then choose Wave.
Tap Import. Keep Wave open until the upload finishes.
Open the session for the transcript, speaker labels and summary. Up to 10 hours per file.

No app? Use the free online tool

Export the memo (Voice Memos saves M4A files) and upload it to Wave's free voice memo to text tool. You get a transcript with speaker labels and an AI summary with no account. It handles Android recorder files too.

Free tool: voice memo to text

What Apple's built-in transcript does

Voice Memos can show a transcript while you record or afterward, and you can search it. Apple lists the limits below.

iPhone 12 or later.
English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.
Not available in every country or region.
Summaries need Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro or later).

Other file types: M4A to text

The problems you know too well

Built-In Transcription Only Works on New iPhones

Voice Memos transcription arrived in iOS 18 and runs on iPhone 12 and later, in about ten languages, and it isn't available in every country. On an older iPhone, or in an unsupported language, the feature isn't there. Wave transcribes any voice memo you import, in 76 languages, whichever phone recorded it.

A Wall of Text With No Speaker Labels

Even when Apple's transcription works, it doesn't say who said what in a two-person recording, and a summary needs Apple Intelligence. Wave labels each speaker automatically, adds timestamps, and summarizes every memo.

The Transcript Stays on Your iPhone

A Voice Memos transcript lives with that recording on your Apple devices. Wave keeps every transcript in one library you can open on iPhone, Android, the web and your computer, with a summary attached and a chat that answers questions across all of them.

Features

Everything you need to capture every conversation

Import Any Voice Memo

Share a recording from Voice Memos straight to Wave, or import the M4A file. Wave also handles MP3, WAV, AAC, AMR and more, so old memos, new memos, and Android recordings all transcribe the same way.

Automatic Speaker Labels

Wave identifies each voice and labels every line, so an interview or a two-person conversation becomes readable instead of a guessing game. Name a speaker once and Wave remembers their voice in future recordings.

AI Summary of Every Memo

Wave reads the transcript and pulls out the key points, decisions, and action items. Skim the summary in ten seconds instead of replaying a twenty-minute memo you recorded on a walk.

Ask Wave About Any Recording

Chat with any voice memo. Ask 'what did I decide about the budget?' and Wave answers with the exact quote from the transcript — no scrubbing back and forth to find it.

Searchable Across Every Recording

Every transcribed memo lands in one searchable library. Find any word from any recording — even one you made months ago — by typing a keyword instead of hunting through 'New Recording 47.'

Record Your Next Memo in Wave

Instead of importing after the fact, record directly in Wave with one tap — including from your Apple Watch or with the screen off — and the transcript and summary are ready the moment you stop.

Perfect for

Interviews and quotes captured as voice memosLectures and study recordingsQuick meeting notes recorded on your phonePodcast and content ideas dictated on the goField research and site-visit notesOld voice memos you never got around to transcribing

FAQs

Common questions

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