Can Apple Notes Record and Transcribe Audio on iPhone? What It Does and Where It Stops

Quick answer: Yes. Apple Notes can record audio inside a note and show a live transcript. Apple says audio transcription is available on iPhone 12 and later when the device language is one of ten supported ones, and summaries need Apple Intelligence. It is good for a short lecture or a quick memo. Apple's page doesn't mention speaker labels or asking questions about a recording. We checked it on 10 October 2026.

Everything below about Notes comes from Apple's Record and transcribe audio in Notes on iPhone page, read on 10 October 2026. We haven't timed it against long recordings ourselves, so where Apple is silent we say so instead of guessing.

How to record audio in Apple Notes on iPhone

1. Open the Notes app and open a note.
2. Tap the attachment button, then tap Record Audio.
3. Tap the record button to start. You can pause and resume.
4. Tap the transcript button to see the live transcript. Spoken words in supported languages are transcribed automatically.
5. When you finish, stop the recording and tap the done button.

Apple adds one tip: swipe down from the top of the screen to take notes while you record. If you don't see the transcript button, Apple says your iPhone either doesn't meet the minimum requirements or doesn't detect a supported language.

What you get

• The audio is attached to the note.
• A transcript. Tap a word to play the audio from that point.
• Search inside one transcript with Find in Transcript.
• Copy the transcript, or choose Add Transcript to Note so the text sits in the note itself.
• A summary of the transcript with Apple Intelligence. Apple says this is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro or later, not in every language or region, and usage limits may apply.

Deleting the recording also deletes its transcript, so keep that in mind before you tidy up.

Who and what it supports

Apple lists iPhone 12 and later, with the device language set to English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese. Apple also notes that some languages that support summaries aren't available for transcription. The same page covers call recordings from the Phone and FaceTime apps, which show up as transcripts in Notes and need iOS 18.1 or later.

Where it stops

This is based on what Apple's page documents. If a feature isn't on the page, we say it isn't mentioned rather than that it's missing.

• Speakers. The page describes one transcript with no mention of speaker labels. In a meeting with four people you read one block of text.
• Questions. You can summarise a recording. Apple's page doesn't mention asking a question about what was said.
• Search across recordings. Apple documents search inside one transcript. Finding a moment among thirty recordings means opening them one by one, unless the words also sit in the note text.
• Languages. Ten for transcription, and the device language decides whether it runs.
• Where it's processed. Apple's page doesn't say, so we won't either. Check Apple's privacy documentation if that matters to your work.
• Long recordings. Apple lists no length limit. We haven't tested a three-hour recording, so test yours before you rely on it.

When Notes is enough

A 20-minute lecture you will skim once. A voice memo to yourself. A phone call you want written down. You already have the app, it costs nothing extra, and the transcript lands next to your typed notes. If that covers your week, stay where you are.

When a dedicated app helps

It gets harder when the recording has several voices, when you record often, or when you need an answer rather than a transcript. Lyonesse is built for that case:

• Read the words as people speak, with speaker labels.
• Ask a question about what was said and get an answer in seconds.
• Get a summary, and search across everything you've recorded to find any moment later.
• Transcription, summaries, speaker labels and Q&A run on your device for the languages Apple and Lyonesse process locally. A few other languages use Apple's speech service, which can send audio to Apple if you opt in. The privacy policy has the detail.
• Works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It needs iOS 26 or macOS 26.

For a meeting in a room, see how to record an in-person meeting on iPhone.

Moving a recording from Notes into Lyonesse

1. In Notes, open the recording and use the save option Apple lists for audio recordings, saving the file to the Files app.
2. In Lyonesse, import the audio file from Files.
3. Lyonesse transcribes it on the device. You can then label speakers, ask questions and search.

We haven't tested this exact route end to end on a current build, so treat step one as the part to check on your phone. The transcript Notes made doesn't carry over, because Lyonesse transcribes the audio again. Our guide to transcribing audio on iPhone covers importing files, and Apple Intelligence transcription explains the rest of Apple's built-in tools. For lectures, see the lecture notes guide. Voice Memos works differently; here is how it compares.

Frequently asked questions

Is Apple Notes transcription on-device?

Apple's Record and transcribe audio page doesn't say where the transcript is made, so we can't tell you. If where your audio is processed matters, check Apple's privacy documentation for your iOS version. Lyonesse transcribes on your device for the languages Apple and Lyonesse process locally, and the privacy policy lists the exceptions.

Does Apple Notes transcription work offline?

Apple's page doesn't say. We haven't tested it in airplane mode, so we won't claim either way. Lyonesse records offline and transcribes on-device for locally supported languages, though a language may need a one-time model download first.

Is Apple Notes recording free?

Notes is part of iOS, so there is no separate charge. Apple's page does say usage limits may apply to Apple Intelligence summaries. Lyonesse is free to download and costs $7.99 a month, $29.99 a year or $59.99 once for the full app (checked 7 October 2026).

Can Apple Notes label who said what?

Apple's page describes the live transcript, playing audio from a tapped word, searching the transcript, copying it and summarising it. It doesn't mention speaker labels. Lyonesse labels speakers.

Which iPhones can transcribe in Notes?

Apple says audio transcription is available on iPhone 12 and later when the device language is English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese or Traditional Chinese (checked 10 October 2026). Summaries need an Apple Intelligence iPhone.

Related: Apple Intelligence transcription · transcribe audio on iPhone · record an in-person meeting