iOS 18: Recording Audio With Transcripts in Notes

[MacRumors]

In iOS 18, Apple has made a significant enhancement to the Notes app, introducing a built-in audio recording feature that streamlines the process of capturing and transcribing voice notes. The new functionality is available on iPhone 12 and later models, and allows you to record audio directly within a note, eliminating the need to use separate apps or share files.

The new audio recording tool in Notes offers more than just simple voice capture. As users record, the app automatically generates a real-time transcript, making it easier to review and search through recorded content. This feature is particularly useful for students attending lectures, professionals in meetings, or anyone who needs to quickly capture and reference spoken information.

Record a Voice Note and Get a Transcript

To use the new audio recording feature in iOS 18's Notes app, simply follow these steps:

1. Open the Notes app and create a new note or open an existing one.
2. Tap inside the note, then select the paperclip icon from the menu above the keyboard.
3. Choose Record Audio from the pop-up menu.
4. Press the red record button to start recording, and tap it again to stop. To view the transcript, tap the quote bubble icon in the bottom-left corner.
   
   
   
   To add the full transcript to the note, tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.
   Select Add Transcript to Note from the dropdown menu.
   
   

That's all there is to it. While the audio recording feature offers new note-taking abilities, it's worth noting that it currently only supports English, but Apple will likely bring support for additional languages in a future update.

In an iOS 18 update coming later this year, Apple Intelligence will also be able to generate transcription summaries, offering a distilled, more easily digestible version of your voice recordings.

Article Link: iOS 18: Recording Audio With Transcripts in Notes

 

[Jxdawg]

If only this was available when I was a student…

Also, proud of Apple for not slapping the AI label on it like so many other companies have been.

 

[m_emelchenkov]

English-only. It's a joke, not a feature.

 

[anakin44011]

If only this was available when I was a student…

Also, proud of Apple for not slapping the AI label on it like so many other companies have been.

I hear you...now everything from a data dashboard to a bayesian filter has now been rebranded as AI. Pretty soon my next cheeseburger will be AI-enhanced.

On another note, unless you are at least five years into retirement, we are all still students. The world is accelerating way, way too fast to not be studying (or practicing) something at all times. So I welcome any technology that helps us learn...including, almost ironically given my earlier statement...AI.

 

[kiranmk2]

Seems a bit complicated - too much clicking on strange icons or the three dots to find "hidden" options. I would have thought a better approach was to make this part of the Voice Recordings app and give a (clear) option to transcribe the recording and add this to the Notes app.

 

[Sasparilla]

This is pretty nice. The math enhancement from the calculator was added to Notes as well. Doing currency conversions or regular equations seem to work consistently in Notes (much better than in iMessage).

 

[citysnaps]

An outstanding feature...one I'll be using a lot!

 

[Nikojas]

Does it work on iPad notes app too?

 

[Rradcircless]

I mistakenly thought they would improve the transcription with the addition of this feature but it’s just as bad as it‘a always been. When it transcribes my memos it completely changes words, writes sentences that don’t make any sense and creates new words which don’t even exist. I thought it was gonna become as good as Otter, that was my mistake.

 

[Skyscraperfan]

Isn't communicating without keeping a copy of the conversation the main idea of making a phone call?

 

[hagar]

English only. Every 0,99 dollar speech-to-text app in the App Store supports at least 40 languages. But Apple? Nooooo.

 

[jmarsh5]

I kind of wish the transcription text was actually transcribed onto the note itself (or at least be an option to do so) instead of being contained in the little voice module inside the note. A small annoyance but it would make navigating those much easier for me personally. For example, being able to use “Find in Note” directly from the note itself and not having to first click into the recording. Also, even if you don’t give the recording a title it doesn’t carry over to being the title of the actual note. Quite an annoying to have to title things twice.

 

[richpjr]

I hear you...now everything from a data dashboard to a bayesian filter has now been rebranded as AI. Pretty soon my next cheeseburger will be AI-enhanced.

On another note, unless you are at least five years into retirement, we are all still students. The world is accelerating way, way too fast to not be studying (or practicing) something at all times. So I welcome any technology that helps us learn...including, almost ironically given my earlier statement...AI.

Uh oh - I just retired last month!

 

[richpjr]

Seems a bit complicated - too much clicking on strange icons or the three dots to find "hidden" options. I would have thought a better approach was to make this part of the Voice Recordings app and give a (clear) option to transcribe the recording and add this to the Notes app.

I played around with it and it does a good job with the transcription, but I agree that it seems to have a lot of steps to use.

 

[frosty001]

I mistakenly thought they would improve the transcription with the addition of this feature but it’s just as bad as it‘a always been. When it transcribes my memos it completely changes words, writes sentences that don’t make any sense and creates new words which don’t even exist. I thought it was gonna become as good as Otter, that was my mistake.

The Verge made out this was incredible. I just tried it, and I must admit, it seemed as hit-and-miss as ever. Maybe they used Airpods to help isolate the voices and get better results. Or it's attuned to US English voices...

 

[ventmore]

Maybe a little buggy right now. During the recording, the transcript seems a little inaccurate. When I stop the recording, the transcript sometimes misses the last word, and the only option available under the three-dot menu is "Rename".

If I play the recording, it corrects some of the words and cleans up the transcription. After playing, the other options appear under the three-dot menu. All of the menu options also become available if I hit "done" straight after the recording, then go back into it...but that's more work than just hitting play.

It appears it's doing some post-processing, but it doesn't show until I either play the recording, or hit done.

 

[alexandr]

If only this was available when I was a student…

Also, proud of Apple for not slapping the AI label on it like so many other companies have been.

This. I also wouldn't have had to spend a hundred dollars on a TI-83...

 

[ifxf]

Does the audibly announce that recording is taking place in states that require it?

 

[richpjr]

This. I also wouldn't have had to spend a hundred dollars on a TI-83...

LOL - I had one of those too when I was in college. It was indispensable.

 

[alexandr]

LOL - I had one of those too when I was in college. It was indispensable.

Considering how little use I got out of it — it was just sad

 

[alexandr]

Does the audibly announce that recording is taking place in states that require it?

Yes, in fact — if you're recording in a vehicle and enter a state that requires this — it will interrupt everyone to announce that a recording is taking place!

 

[FloridaScrubJay]

I hear you...now everything from a data dashboard to a bayesian filter has now been rebranded as AI. Pretty soon my next cheeseburger will be AI-enhanced.

On another note, unless you are at least five years into retirement, we are all still students. The world is accelerating way, way too fast to not be studying (or practicing) something at all times. So I welcome any technology that helps us learn...including, almost ironically given my earlier statement...AI.

I have been retired for 8 years. I am still a student. I attend OLLI courses through USF. I am spending lots of time learning skills for wildlife photography and processing photos in Lightroom. I attend numerous coffee with a curator talks at various museums. I am active with a local Audubon society (including being on the board). I do a lot of state, national, and international travel visiting museums and parks. In fact, if anything, I seem to busier in retirement. I don’t expect to be slowing down anytime soon and will keep learning.

 

[Rradcircless]

English only. Every 0,99 dollar speech-to-text app in the App Store supports at least 40 languages. But Apple? Nooooo.

And it does a ***** job at the one language it's available in.

 

[8CoreWhore]

After creating a new Note, you have to tap the blank note. Hmm, OK. Why? To make the paperclip visible. HHhm, OK. Why? So you can tap the paperclip and make the Record Audio visible. I miss Steve.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

Maybe a little buggy right now. During the recording, the transcript seems a little inaccurate. When I stop the recording, the transcript sometimes misses the last word, and the only option available under the three-dot menu is "Rename".

If I play the recording, it corrects some of the words and cleans up the transcription. After playing, the other options appear under the three-dot menu. All of the menu options also become available if I hit "done" straight after the recording, then go back into it...but that's more work than just hitting play.

It appears it's doing some post-processing, but it doesn't show until I either play the recording, or hit done.

I’ve been using it for a while in beta and I've been getting good results by just recording the audio normally and then asking it to transcribe after it’s wrapped up.