How long can you record a voice memo on iphone 11

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing.

Need to record a conversation, speech, or note? Here's how to use the Voice Memos app for iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS devices.

>

Dig Deeper With Related Stories

PCMag Stories You’ll Like

About Lance Whitney

I've been working for PCMag since early 2016 writing tutorials, how-to pieces, and other articles on consumer technology. Beyond PCMag, I've written news stories and tutorials for a variety of other websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, Popular Science, Time, Fortune, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing breaking news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast reporters. I've also written two books for Wiley & Sons—Windows 8: Five Minutes at a Time and Teach Yourself Visually LinkedIn.

Read Lance's full bio

Read the latest from Lance Whitney

Download Article

The comprehensive guide to iPhone voice memos

Download Article

Your iPhone includes a Voice Memos app, which allows you to record and edit audio memos. You can use this for taking personal memos, recording class lectures, and more. After recording a memo, you can trim it to remove dead air or unimportant information. You can also share your memos by sending the audio file through your email or messaging apps.

1. 1

   Open your Messages app. You can send quick audio notes to your iMessage contacts using the Messages app.

2. 2

   Open a conversation with someone. You'll need to be chatting with another iMessage user in order to send audio notes. Check the messages in the conversation and the title bar. If they are green, you are not chatting via iMessage. If they are blue, you will be able to send audio messages.

   Advertisement

3. 3

   Press and hold the microphone button next to the iMessage field. This microphone button only appears when you're chatting with another iMessage user.

4. 4

   Record your audio note while holding down the microphone button. You'll continue to record for as long as you're holding the button.

5. 5

   Slide your finger up to the Send button to send the note. This will immediately send the audio note to the other person. If you want to cancel instead, release your finger then tap the "X" next to your recording.

Advertisement

1. 1

   Open the Voice Memos app. You can find this on one of your Home screens. It may be in a folder labeled "Extras." The icon looks like sound graph on a white background.

   • You can also hold the Home button to launch Siri and say "Record a voice memo" to start the app.

2. 2

   Tap the Record button to begin recording. This will immediately begin recording using your iPhone's microphone. You'll get the best results if the source of the sound you're recording is physically close to your iPhone.

   • You may get better recordings if you use the Apple earbuds with the microphone built into the cable. You'll need this if you're using an iPod Touch, which doesn't have a built-in microphone.
   • If your iPhone has a protective case, it may be hampering the microphone. Remove the iPhone from the case for the best recording performance.

3. 3

   Tap the Record button again to pause the recording. You can pause and restart your recording as many times as you'd like.

4. 4

   Tap "Done" after stopping a recording to save it. You'll be prompted to give the recording a name. Type a name and tap "Save" to save it to your list of recordings.[1]

   • There is no practical limit to the length of recordings, though eventually you may run out of space on your iPhone if your recording is extra long. Recordings are essentially 480 KB per minute, meaning an hour-long recording would take approximately 30 MB.[2]

Advertisement

1. 1

   Tap a recording in your Voice Memo list to open it. You'll find this list when you launch the Voice Memos app. You can trim your recordings to get rid of parts that you don't need, or to split a long recording into multiple parts.

2. 2

   Tap the "Edit" button underneath your selected recording. This only appears when you've selected it.

3. 3

   Tap the blue box to open Trim mode. You'll see red bars appear at each end of the recording.

4. 4

   Drag the red bars to set a new start and end point for the recording. You can tap and drag each bar to change where the recording will start and end. Use this to get rid of dead air at the beginning or end of a recording, or to select the part of the recording you want to turn into a new file.

   • You can trim multiple times to get the results you want. For example, you could trim once to get rid of dead air at the start of the recording, then trim again to get rid of dead air at the end. You could then trim a section of the recording and create a new file from it.

5. 5

   Tap "Trim" when you're finished setting new starting and ending points. This will prompt you to either create a new recording from the trimmed portion, or to overwrite the original.

   • When you choose to create a new recording, the portion of the recording you selected with the Trim tool will be turned into a new file, and the original will remain unchanged.
   • If you choose to overwrite the original, only what you selected with the Trim tool will remain.

Advertisement

1. 1

   Open the memo you want to share from the Voice Memos app. You'll see a list of memos when you open the Voice Memos app. You can send your memo files to other people from the Voice Memos app. The file will be sent in M4A format, which can be played on virtually any modern device that supports audio files.

2. 2

   Tap the Share button. You'll find this beneath the recording after you select it. It looks like a square with an arrow coming out of the top.

3. 3

   Select how you want to share the memo. You can send the file using Mail, Messages, or by using any other messaging apps installed on your device. If you don't see the messaging app you want to use, tap the "..." button and then toggle the app on.

4. 4

   Transfer your voice memos to your computer. You can save your voice memos to your computer by using iTunes.[3]

   • Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
   • Select your iPhone at the top of the screen, then click the "Music" option in the left menu.
   • Ensure that "Sync Music" and "Include voice memos" are checked.
   • Click the "Sync" button and your voice memos will be copied to your iTunes library.

Advertisement

Add New Question

• Question

  How do I listen to my memos?

  Tap on the Voice Memos app to find the list of memos underneath the black recording box. Find the memo you want to listen to and tap on it. If it does not play immediately, tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear your memo.

• Question

  How long will voice memos record?

  It depends on how much space you have left on your device. Normally, it will record until a certain amount of space is left.

• Question

  How long can voice memos be?

  As long as you wish, it also depends on how much storage you have as it can take up a lot of megabits/gigabits, etc. Also consider how much you actually want to listen over what you've said again.

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Advertisement

wikiHow Video: How to Record a Voice Memo on an iPhone

• If you need more advanced features for your voice memos, there are several apps available on the App Store that include more features.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Advertisement

About This Article

Article SummaryX

1. Open the Voice Memos app.
2. Tap the red "Record" button.
3. Tap the red square to pause the recording.
4. Tap Done to finish recording.
5. Enter a name for the recording and tap Save.

Did this summary help you?

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 6,634,445 times.

Is this article up to date?

How long can an iPhone 11 voice record?

Is there a time limit on voice memo recordings?

How long can I voice memo for?

How do I record a long voice memo on my iPhone?