How to convert Voice Memos to text

Apple Voice Memos is great for capturing ideas, lectures and meetings, but reading is faster than listening. Here is how to send any memo to Transcription and get clean, editable text on iPhone or Mac.

One-time setup: add Transcription to the share sheet

1. Install Transcription and open it once.
2. Open the Voice Memos app.
3. Select a recording and tap Share.
4. Scroll the row of apps to the end and tap More.
5. Tap Edit, find Transcription and tap Add to put it in Favorites.

From now on, Transcription appears near the start of the share sheet.

Transcribe a memo

1. In Voice Memos, select the recording and tap Share → Transcription.
2. Pick the spoken language and choose online (fastest, most accurate) or on-device (offline and private).
3. In a minute or two you get the full text with timestamps. Tap any word to hear it.

On a Mac

Voice Memos syncs through iCloud, so the same recordings are on your Mac. Drag a memo from the Voice Memos window onto the Transcription Mac app, or use Share → Transcription. Transcripts sync back to your iPhone automatically.

Skip Voice Memos entirely

If you record often, record directly in Transcription. You get the same quality audio, and the transcript starts as soon as you stop. With PRO, on-device dictation is unlimited, so you can talk through ideas as long as you like.

What to do with the text

• Export to DOCX or PDF for notes and reports.
• Copy a paragraph into Notes, Notion or an email.
• Ask Claude or ChatGPT to summarize all memos from this week: connect your transcriptions to AI.

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