- 0:00
- Idea for the garden: move the tomatoes to the south wall.
- 0:10
- They only got sun in the afternoon last summer.
- 0:24
- Buy two more bags of compost, the big ones.
- 0:38
- And ask the neighbour if we can borrow the ladder.
Voice memo to text
All those voice memos you never listened to again — finally readable and searchable.
How do you transcribe a voice memo on iPhone?
To turn a voice memo to text on iPhone, open Voice Memos, tap the recording, tap ⋯, then Share → Save to Files, and drop the .m4a above. The first 2 minutes of any memo are free here; the rest is in Kalpa. You can also record straight into Kalpa on iPhone or Apple Watch.
Short ones here, long ones in Kalpa
How to transcribe iPhone Voice Memos
Open Voice Memos
On iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Share the recording
⋯ → Share → Save to Files. On a Mac, drag it out.
Drop the .m4a above
The first 2 minutes of any memo are free.
Or record in Kalpa
On iPhone or Apple Watch, transcribed on your iPhone.
Your voice memos, finally readable
Ideas from walks, drives and late nights pile up in Voice Memos unheard. Turn them into text you can skim in seconds — or record the next one straight into Kalpa on iPhone or Apple Watch.
Good to know
- Some iOS versions can show transcripts in Voice Memos for some languages; Kalpa detects 25 languages automatically.
- Kalpa can record from your Apple Watch, too.
- For longer memos, the first 2 minutes are free here and the rest is in Kalpa.
Why people transcribe voice memos
Ideas on the go
Thoughts from walks and drives, as text.
Journaling
Talk through your day, read it back later.
Reminders
Lists and plans you dictated.
When the free tool is enough — and when you need Kalpa
| Free web tool | Kalpa app | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | First 2 minutes of any recording | The whole recording, no limit |
| Summary, quotes and topics | — | Yes |
| Search everything you saved | — | Ask in chat, jump to the moment |
| Your own recordings | Upload a file | Record on iPhone or Apple Watch, transcribed on device |
| Languages | 25, detected automatically | 25, detected automatically |
Questions and answers
Doesn’t iPhone transcribe Voice Memos already?
Some iOS versions show transcripts in Voice Memos for some languages; Kalpa works with any memo you save as .m4a and detects 25 languages.
Can I record voice memos directly in Kalpa?
Yes, the Kalpa app records on iPhone and Apple Watch and transcribes your recordings on your iPhone.
What file format are iPhone voice memos?
iPhone Voice Memos are saved as .m4a files, which you can drop here without converting.
How much of a voice memo is free to transcribe?
Kalpa transcribes the first 2 minutes of any voice memo for free, with no sign-up; the rest is in the Kalpa app, which is free to start.
What happens to my voice memo after it’s transcribed?
Your voice memo audio is deleted right after the transcript is made; the text is kept for 24 hours so the same recording isn’t processed twice, then deleted, and Kalpa does not use it to train models.
More free transcription tools
Everything you hear and say, remembered
Kalpa keeps what you watch, say and think in one place you can talk to. Free to start on iPhone and Apple Watch.
Download on the App Store