Can iPhone Voice Memos transcribe automatically?

Yes, on iOS 18 or later on iPhone 12 or later. The transcript is created on-device and is free, in 10 languages: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese.

Why can't I see a transcript for my voice memo?

The built-in transcript needs iOS 18 or later, an iPhone 12 or newer, and a recording in one of Apple's 10 supported languages. Older recordings, unsupported languages, or older devices show no transcript. Sharing the memo to a transcription app like Audio Notes AI works in all of those cases.

How do I convert a voice memo to text in another language?

Share the memo to Audio Notes AI. It transcribes 60+ languages, including Cantonese, Hindi, Arabic and Vietnamese, and can translate the transcript into your preferred language.

Can I get a summary of a long voice memo?

Not with Voice Memos itself. Audio Notes AI creates a summary and action items from every recording, and you can ask the transcript questions in a chat.

Apple's built-in transcript is free. Audio Notes AI is free to try for your first 3 notes or 60 minutes of transcription, whichever comes first; Pro covers 10,000 minutes a month.

How long can the voice memo be?

Audio Notes AI transcribes up to 90 minutes per recording. Trim or split longer memos in Voice Memos before sharing.

How to Transcribe Voice Memos on iPhone (Free + AI, 2026)

Short answer: on iOS 18 or later, Voice Memos can show a free transcript on the phone. To copy it into your notes, get it in another language, or get a summary of a long recording, share the memo to a transcription app; it takes about 30 seconds. Here are both methods, step by step, and when each one makes sense.

Method 1: The free built-in transcript

Apple added transcription to the Voice Memos app in iOS 18. It runs entirely on your iPhone (iPhone 12 or later), works offline, and costs nothing.

Open Voice Memos and tap the recording.
Tap the transcript button (a speech-bubble icon) to show the text. The exact position of the button can change between iOS versions.
Read the transcript on screen while the recording plays.

Where it stops: only 10 languages (English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese), no summary, no translation, no action items, and no search across all your memos. For a one-minute reminder that is fine. For a 45-minute meeting or lecture, you still have to read every line.

Method 2: Share to Audio Notes AI (about 30 seconds)

In Voice Memos, tap the recording, then tap Share. Old memos work too.
Choose Transcribe with Audio Notes AI from the share sheet. Memos saved in the Files app work the same way: long-press, Share.
Pick the spoken language in the app if you know it (auto-detect works too, but choosing removes any guesswork).
Wait about 30 seconds for a short memo. You get the transcript, a summary, action items, and, if the memo is in a different language from your app language, a translation.
Copy the text, search it later across all your notes, ask the chat a question, or send an encrypted link (AES-256 on your iPhone, expires after 24 hours).

Transcription uses OpenAI's Whisper model on a server, so this method needs an internet connection. Each recording can be up to 90 minutes.

Which method should you use?

	Built-in transcript	Share to Audio Notes AI
Cost	Free	Free to try (first 3 notes or 60 minutes)
Languages	10	60+ (incl. Cantonese)
Summary and action items	No	Yes
Translation	No	Yes
Works offline	Yes	No (needs internet)
Best for	Short personal memos	Meetings, lectures, interviews, memos in other languages

Tips for better voice memo transcripts

Record close to the speaker. Within about two meters, microphone end toward the voice.
Avoid music and cafés when you can; background noise causes more errors than accents do.
Choose the language instead of relying on auto-detect for mixed-language recordings.
Split very long memos at natural breaks so each part stays under 90 minutes.

Related guides

Get Audio Notes AI on the App Store and share your first memo. Your first 3 notes or 60 minutes of transcription are free.