The Best Way to Record Audio on iPhone

Imagine capturing crisp, clear audio recordings anytime, anywhere, straight from your pocket. No bulky equipment is needed! Well, guess what? Your iPhone is a secret weapon for recording high-quality sound.

Whether you’re a student grabbing a lecture, a musician jamming out ideas, or just jotting down voice notes for later, your iPhone can be your go-to recording studio.

Can you record audio on an iPhone?

This might surprise you, but your iPhone actually has a built-in recorder app called Voice Memos. Think of it as a tiny recording studio right there in your pocket!

Voice Memos is perfect for capturing all sorts of things on the go, like voice notes, interviews, or even lectures. Using it is super simple: just open the app and tap the big red “record” button. When you’re done recording, just tap it again to stop.

Voice Memos doesn’t stop there! Right within the app, you can listen back to your recording, give it a catchy title, edit it if needed, and even share it with friends or colleagues. Plus, you can trim out any unwanted parts before saving or sharing, so you only keep the good stuff.

This guide will walk you through everything you need to know about using Voice Memos to capture high-quality audio recordings on your iPhone. No more bulky equipment – it’s time to unleash your inner recording pro!

How to record audio on iPhone with Voice Memos

1. Finding Your Voice Memos App

Head over to your iPhone’s Home Screen, where all your apps hang out. Look for the Voice Memos app. It’s easy to spot – the icon looks like a squiggly line inside a black box. Just tap that icon to open the app and get a recording!

If, for some reason, you’ve removed the app, you can always download it for free on the App Store. 

2. Position your iPhone correctly

Aiming for a great recording on your iPhone? Here’s how to do it! Whether you’re recording yourself or a group, the first step is positioning your iPhone. Hold it up like you normally would during a call for solo recordings. For groups, place it flat on a surface about a hand’s width away from everyone. Make sure the little microphone hole on the bottom isn’t blocked by anything.

Now, for the best sound quality, try to find a quiet spot without too much background noise or echo. If you can’t find a quiet space, don’t worry! There are tools you can use later to remove background noise from your recording.

Lastly, if you need to capture someone’s voice from afar, you have two options: you can show them how to use the Voice Memos app on their own iPhone and have them send it to you, or use a special app designed specifically for remote audio recording.

3. Tap the red record button

When you want to record, tap on the large red circle button.

4. Record your audio

Speak clearly and at a reasonable volume. You can adjust the recording level by moving the microphone closer or farther away from the source.

Image of a new recording in progress on iPhone

👉 NOTE: When you use Voice Memos to make recordings, an orange dot appears at the top of your screen to indicate your microphone is on. 

If you have an iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max, you can see your recording in progress in the Dynamic Island at the top of the Home Screen. 

To get back to Voice Memos, tap the Dynamic Island.

5. Pause or stop the recording

If you’re recording in parts and need to pause, swipe up from the waveform to see more advanced features. Tap the pause button to stop the recording. Tap Resume to continue.

Tap the stop button to finish recording. 

6. Name and save your recording

Recordings are automatically saved with a default name. Tap on the default name to rename it. The keyboard will appear so you can add a new name.

Tap “Return” on the keyboard to save the name.

7. Access and edit your recorded audio

The main Voice Memos screen shows all your recordings. To play a recording, just tap it. You can also edit or delete recordings by selecting them and using the available options.

You can adjust playback speed, remove silence, or improve sound quality to polish up your final product.

The Voice Memos app also lets you trim parts you don’t want, record over parts, or replace your entire recording. 

To trim your recording, tap the More Actions button, then tap “Edit Recording.” Tap the Trim button at the top right, then drag the yellow trim handles to enclose the section you want to delete or keep.

Tap Trim to keep the section and delete the rest of the recording. Or, tap “Delete” to get rid of the highlighted part. When you’re finished, hit “Save,” then tap “Done.” 

If you want to record a phone call or record system audio from a computer, you’ll need to use separate tools.

How to share an audio recording on an iPhone

Say you create a podcast on your iPhone and want to transfer it to another mobile device or backup for editing. Voice Memos lets you easily send recordings to your Mac, iPad, or another iOS device through AirDrop. 

You can use Messages, Mail, and other options if you want to send the audio file to an Android smartphone or device. 

Here’s how:

1. Select the recording to export. 
2. Tap the More Actions button. 
3. Tap “Share,” then choose a sharing option and follow the onscreen prompts. 

The best way to record high-quality audio

There are many tools to record audio on the market, but not all have the features you need to create high-quality audio with incredible sound. 

People who already use Descript’s voice recorder benefit from: 

• Overdub, which creates an AI clone of your voice to fix voiceover mistakes 
• Studio Sound, which makes it sound like you recorded in a professional studio
• Accurate transcription that identifies filler words like  “um” and “uh”
• 5GB of free cloud storage with shareable links 
• Professional editing tools that allow you to edit audio from text 
• Exporting options to share your audio across podcast hosting services

Start creating high-quality audio with the best voice recorder app on Mac and Windows.

Frequently Asked Questions