iOS 18: Recording Audio With Transcripts in Notes

[szw-mapple fan]

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

There is no way to tell if there is another person other than the user in the recording, so no. What you’re describing only applies to phone call recordings.

 

[ignatius345]

All well and good, but Apple's built-in transcription service could use a lot of improvement. I've experimented with a few AI-powered tools like MacWhisper and their accuracy just blows Apple's transcription away. I hope that the Apple Intelligence features come online, we see the tool improve.

 

[DotCom2]

LOVE all these little new features.

 

[Firestorm007]

Does it work on iPad notes app too?

Yes it does.

 

[jgreg728]

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 agree, I find it weird that they stuffed this big feature away in the paperclip icon. The voice memo icon should be its own choice in the bar. Also agree that there should be better integration between Voice Recordings and Notes for this feature. They touted other apps working together like Calendar and Reminders for iOS 18, so I'm surprised there wasn't much thought to do the same for these two apps as well.

 

[3xBoom]

On another note, unless you are at least five years into retirement, we are all still students.

I, for one, am planning to double up on being a student after I retire in a few years if not earlier. This is an amazing time to dive into learning, expanding your skills and knowledge, helping others and make your life so much more fulfilling in the process.

 

[msackey]

It might be useful for some students, but generally, don't defer the live processing (i.e., engagement with the speaker's words and thinking through it in real time) to later by using an audio recording because a) it takes a long time to go through an audio recording and b) if you've already sat through a talk/lecture, do you really want to sit through it again even if you were scanning / skimming through?

Also, for those planning to record talk or lecture, please make sure you have the permission to do so first.

 

[SnowCrocodile]

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

OneNote has had voice transcription for years…

Nobody needing a notes app for anything more important than recipes should be using Apple Notes anyway, until they have note version history. Too easy to accidentally delete hours worth of notes without realizing it.

About the only real advantage it has over other apps on Apple ecosystem is Spotlight support. And even this is very iffy.

 

[neotint]

What transcription tech is Voice Memo & Notes using? OpenAI Whisper, NVIDIA's canary, or Apple's own? Don't see articles specifying this.

 

[svish]

Nice article. Good to have this functionality.

 

[Silly John Fatty]

I don’t have the transcript feature. Is it because my phone is not set in English? I made it record a YouTube video in English so I thought it should’ve worked.

 

[Dredd67]

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

I got the advertisement for this feature when I opened the app after the iOS 18 upgrade. I was excited... only to realize it didn't work in French. No, actually, it doesn't even exist. Yet, if you look for it on Apple's own online manual, it explains (poorly) how it works step by step... IN FRENCH.

As a non American user, my 15 Pro max with iOS 18 feels very much like my 15 Pro max with iOS 17... except for fancy new emojis, m(d)isplaced settings, and the fugliest homescreen personalization ever.

Ah yes, we have RCS now. I will finally be able to get a decent conversation with the occasional amazon delivery guy.