Voice Memos

Voice Memos is Apple's voice and audio memos app that enables you to keep voice recordings for later. While manually naming these memos is the most reliable way to know the content, this isn't always convenient or even possible when you are on the go. Automatically naming voice memos by location is an easy way to take you back to where you were when you had the thought — whether it was at work, home, or on vacation, you'll remember where you were and be able to search by where you were. And you can always rename the voice memo later when it's more convenient.

When you need to make yourself a quick voice recording, the Voice Memos feature on the Apple Watch is a great shortcut. I like using this feature to make a recording when my iPhone is out of reach or I don't have time to open my iPhone and open the Voice Memos app. It's also a nice way to record your thoughts without losing your thread of concentration. Here's how to record a voice memo on the Apple Watch.

Did you know you can create your own custom ringtones for incoming texts and calls? Here's how to make ringtones with GarageBand on your iPhone. You'll need to have your device running on iOS 11 or later, have recorded a voice memo that is thirty seconds or shorter on the Voice Memos app, and saved that recording to the Files app. You'll also need to have GarageBand downloaded to your iPhone if you don't already. With this tip, you'll be able to make the ringtone on your iPhone without using iTunes or a Mac!

It's possible to access the same voice memo on any of your Mac, iOS, and iPadOS devices, and to do things like record a voice memo on your iPhone and edit it on your Mac. To do this, you will need to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on each of your devices. Once you're signed in, you can sync voice memos on your iPhone and iPad, and even Mac. You can also follow these steps to disable iCloud sync for Voice Memos. 

I use Voice Memos a lot, but I had no idea you could record over a section of an already recorded voice memo. Just make sure you don’t record over a portion you want to keep. Otherwise, this is a great hidden feature. Here’s how to record over a section in Voice Memos on your iPhone, whether you’re recording vocals or dictation.

I don’t know about you, but I record a lot of Voice Memos. They’re a great way to capture a random thought or idea to save for transcription later. However, what if you want to save those memos on your computer? You can easily sync your voice memos to your computer the way you sync your music. Of course, you'll need to use iTunes to do this, but it's a simple change to make. Here’s how to transfer your Voice Memos from iPhone to your computer.

Music Memos is one of the most recent Apple apps the company has introduced. You’re used to Voice Memos, but Music Memos is made specifically for iPhone music creation. What’s really cool about the app is the ability to add Bass and Drums to a recording instantly. You can even adjust the added instruments such as choosing a Modern Kit or Vintage Kit for Drums. It’s not always perfect but the technology is amazing. Here’s how to record a music memo.

Voicemail storage is limited and, usually, most people discard the old ones. However, now and again there’s an awesome or hilarious message that you want to keep or share with friends and family. Now, in iOS 9, you can do that.

I use the iOS Voice Memos app that came pre-installed on my iPhone quite often. (Sorry, iPad users, this is an iPhone-only app.)  I use it when I’m interviewing someone for an article, at my doctor’s appointments (with my doctor’s permission) when I want to make sure I hear everything she is telling me regarding my medications, and, of course, if I want to record a quick memo. If I want to save part of the recording for future reference, it is much easier and efficient to trim the parts I don’t need. Here’s how:

In a previous tip, we covered how to Record Voice Memos. But once you've collected countless hours of playback on your phone, how do you share the recordings from there? Whether it's a recording of an interview, conference, or your beautiful singing voice, it's easy to share what you've recorded via email, AirDrop, or text message.

Sometimes, you need to record a thought quickly. Using the Voice Memos voice recorder app on an iPhone or iPad to record that thought out loud is the fastest way to capture an idea before it flies away forever. The Voice Memos app is the little-known gem of the iPhone and iPad. Ease of use and clarity of sound makes the native Voice Memos app ideal for recording interviews, notes, and vocals, with the ability to record for hours at a time. If you're the type of person whose brain moves faster than your typing hands can keep up with, then Voice Memos is the ideal app for you. 

Siri is an awesome time saver. Want to view your most recent calls, text someone, get directions, or post to Facebook? Just ask Siri. You can even do all this from your lock screen. The problem is, so can anyone else. If your settings allow for it, anyone can access your call history, send a tweet, or get directions to a contact's home from your lock screen just by bringing up Siri and asking.

If you have an older iOS device, such as an iPhone 4S, you have probably chosen not to update to iOS 8. Which means you're missing the fun of sending audio messages to your friends and family. The way around that is to record and share brief Voice Memos instead.

One of the great new features in iOS 8 is the ability to send an audio message. Sometimes it's simply a lot more convenient to make a quick recording than it is to type a message. Why not simply call the person? Because convention requires that we then engage in conversation. An audio message is more efficient. And the party you're sending it to can listen at his or her convenience rather than having to answer the phone.