In iPadOS 18 or later, speech in your audio recordings can be transcribed to text in Voice Memos. You can view the transcription while you’re recording or after.

If you open a recording made in an earlier version of Voice Memos (iPadOS 17 or earlier), Voice Memos will transcribe it automatically if it includes recorded speech. You can also copy transcribed text after recording, and search for text in titles and transcriptions.

Note: Audio transcription is available on supported models in English (all variants), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. It’s not available in all countries or regions.

View a transcription while recording

1. Go to the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Record button to begin recording.
3. Tap the Transcription button to watch the transcription live.

   The waveform disappears temporarily, and the transcription appears, with the current word highlighted. To return to the waveform view, tap the Selected Transcription button.

4. Tap the Pause button to stop recording; tap Resume to continue.
5. To save the recording, tap the Done button.

View or copy transcribed text after recording

1. Open the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the recording with the transcript you want to view and tap the Edit Recording button.
3. Tap the Transcription button to view the transcription.
4. Select the text you want to copy, then tap Copy.

   You can open another document—a Mail message or text file, for example—and paste the text into it.

With Apple Intelligence, you can use Writing Tools to summarize transcripts with a tap, proofread your work, and find just the right wording and tone. See Use Writing Tools with Apple Intelligence.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iPadOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPad mini (A17 Pro) and iPad models with M1 or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Search for text in titles and transcriptions

1. Open the Voice Memos app (in the Utilities folder) on your iPad.
2. Tap the Search button in the top right of the screen.
3. In the search field, enter the text you want to find.

   The list shows only recordings with that text—either in the title or in the audio transcription.

When you select a term in the transcription, the playhead appears at that location in the audio waveform. To return to the waveform, tap the Selected Transcription button.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

See also

• Play a recording in Voice Memos on iPad

You can play audio you recorded on your iPad using the playback controls, and adjust the playback options to change playback speed, reduce background noise, and fill in silences.

You can change the playback speed, turn on Studio Sound, enhance a recording, and skip over gaps while it plays. On supported models, Studio Sound adjusts the level of background sound and reverb, and each setting stays with the recording you chose it for.

Note: Changing these settings won’t affect the recording itself in any way. Any setting you choose for a recording stays with that recording only, and it’s applied each time you play the recording, not to other recordings.

Quick tip: While the recording is open, tap its name, and you can rename it.

Change the playback speed

You can play a recording at a faster or slower speed.

1. Go to the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. In the list of recordings, tap the recording you want to play.
3. Tap the Options button and drag the slider toward the tortoise for a slower speed, or toward the rabbit for a faster speed.
4. Tap the Options button. Then tap the Play button to play the recording.

Turn on Studio Sound

Studio Sound, available on supported models, adjusts the level of background sound and reverb so your recording sounds more like it came out of a studio.

For a Spatial Audio recording made on iPhone 18 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro Max that was shared as an Editable file, you can enhance music rather than treat it as background sound. On other iPhone models, Spatial Audio recordings reduce music along with background sound.

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the recording you want to play and then tap the Options button.
3. Turn on Studio Sound. Drag the slider to increase or decrease the effect.

Logic Pro is where you can continue to fine-tune recordings enabled with Studio Sound.

Enhance a recording

To reduce background noise and echo when you play a Mono or Stereo recording, you can enhance it.

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. In the list of recordings, tap the recording you want to enhance.
3. Tap the Options button, then turn on Enhance Recording.
4. Tap the Options button. Then tap the Play button to play the recording.

Skip over gaps when playing back a recording

When you play your Mono and Stereo recordings, Voice Memos can analyze them and skip over gaps automatically.

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the recording you want to play.
3. Tap the Options button and then turn on Skip Silence.
4. Tap the Options button. Then tap the Play button to play the recording.

Reset the playback options

All the playback options can return to their original settings at once.

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the recording you want to turn off playback options for.
3. Tap the Options button at the top of the screen and tap Reset.

See also

• Edit or delete a recording in Voice Memos on iPad

On iPhone 16 Pro or later (except iPhone 16e), you can create a layered recording by adding a vocal layer on top of an instrumental recording. On an iPad with iPadOS 18.2 or later, where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account, you can see any layered recordings you created on a supported iPhone.

You can mix the two layers, or separate them to edit them or play them separately, and the two layers then appear as separate recordings. You can even import layered recordings into Logic Pro.

Note: Layered recordings use the QTA (QuickTime Audio) format, which means devices that have iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, macOS 15.1, or earlier can’t show them. Once you separate the layers, each one is in .m4a format and appears on devices running iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, macOS 15.1, or earlier.

Mix the layers

You can mix a layered recording’s two layers.

1. Go to the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the layered recording you want to mix.
3. Tap the Options button.
4. Drag the Layer Mix slider to mix the layers.

Separate the layers

Separating the two layers of a layered recording on your iPad means you can edit or play them separately.

1. Open the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. In the list of recordings, touch and hold the layered recording you want to separate and tap Separate Layers.

   The two layers appear as separate recordings in the list. You can select them, edit them, and play them separately.

   Note: The separated layers are in .m4a format and will appear on devices with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, macOS 15.1, or earlier.

Import layered recordings into Logic Pro

With Voice Memos turned on in iCloud settings, a layered recording from your iPhone opens on your iPad, as long as you’re signed in to the same Apple Account there, so you can export the recording to Files. From there, import it into Logic Pro for iPad for editing, and in Logic Pro 11.1.1 or later, the two layers automatically open as two distinct tracks.

See also

• Keep recordings up to date in Voice Memos

In the Voice Memos app on iPad, you can easily record lectures, song ideas, meetings, and more. Your recordings appear automatically on your other devices signed in to the same Apple Account, and you can edit them, view and search transcripts, and share or export them.

Record with a single tap

To begin recording, just tap the Record button.

As long as Voice Memos is on in iCloud settings and you’re signed in to the same Apple Account, your audio recordings show up automatically on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro.

Fine-tune your recordings

Whether you capture a recording on your iPad, iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, or Apple Vision Pro, you can edit it easily, right on your iPad. Select the recording in the recordings list, tap the Edit button, then tap the trim button at the top right to begin editing.

View and search audio transcripts

You can view transcripts of your recordings in Voice Memos, either live while you’re recording or after. Transcripts are searchable, so you can find just the moment you’re looking for. To see the transcript of the selected recording, tap the Transcription button at the top right. To search for specific text, enter it in the search field above the list of recordings. The list shows only recordings with that text.

Share or export a recording

You can share a recording with friends, or export it to Logic Pro to enhance it with professional editing tools. To share, tap the recording, then tap the Share button. Tap Options, choose whether to share as a rendered or editable file, then tap the Done button. Choose a sharing option, or to export, swipe up, then tap Save to Files.

For more on Voice Memos, here’s where to head next:

• View a Voice Memos transcription on iPad
• Edit or delete a recording in Voice Memos on iPad
• Work with layered recordings on iPad
• Export a Voice Memos recording to Files on iPad
• Organize recordings in Voice Memos on iPad

You can fine-tune your recordings using the editing tools. Remove parts, record over parts, or replace an entire recording.

You can trim a recording to keep or delete a section, and save the edited version as a new recording, so the original stays as it was. You can also delete a recording, and recover or erase a deleted one later.

Here’s how to edit or delete a recording in Voice Memos on iPad.

Edit a voice recording

1. Go to the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. In the list of recordings, tap the recording you want to edit and then tap Edit at the top right.
3. Tap the Trim button at the top right. Then drag the yellow trim handles to enclose the section you want to keep or delete.

   You can pinch open to zoom in on the waveform for more precise editing.

   To check your selection, tap the Play button.

4. To keep the selection (and delete the rest of the recording), tap Trim, or to delete the selection, tap Delete.
5. Tap Apply and then tap Done.
6. Tap Save Recording to overwrite the original recording, or tap Save as New Recording to save the edited version as a new recording (leaving the original as it was).

Replace a recording

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. In the list of recordings, tap the recording you want to replace and then tap Edit at the top right.
3. Drag the waveform to position the playhead where you want to start recording new audio.

   You can pinch open to zoom in on the waveform for more precise placement.

4. Tap Replace to begin recording (the waveform turns red as you record).

   Tap the Pause button to pause; tap Resume to continue.

5. To check your recording, tap the Play button.
6. Tap Done and tap Save Recording to replace the original recording, or tap Save as New Recording to save the changes as a new recording (leaving the original as it was).

Delete a recording

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Do any of the following:
   • In the list of recordings, tap the recording you want to delete, then tap the Delete button.
   • Tap Edit above the list of recordings, select one or more recordings, then tap Delete.

Deleted recordings move to the Recently Deleted folder, where they’re kept for 30 days by default. To change how long deleted recordings are kept, go to Settings > Apps > Voice Memos > Clear Deleted, then select an option.

Recover or erase a deleted recording

1. Start the Voice Memos app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Recently Deleted folder. Then tap the recording you want to recover or erase.
3. Do any of the following:
   • Recover the selected recording: Tap Recover.
   • Delete the selected recording: Tap Delete.
   • Recover everything in the Recently Deleted folder: Tap Edit above the Recently Deleted list, then tap Recover All.
   • Delete everything in the Recently Deleted folder: Tap Edit above the Recently Deleted list. Tap Delete All.

See also

• Organize recordings in Voice Memos on iPad