iPhone 3.0: Apple Creates new Voice Memos App
With the joy Steve Jobs typically reserves for introducing new Mac OS X Dashboard Widgets, and a similarly Jobsian “it’s gorgeous”, iPhone Software Senior Vice-President, Scott Forstall showed off a new App for Mobile OS X at the iPhone 3.0 Preview Event.
The first new, built in App from Apple in a while, and unlike the previous two — iTunes and App Store — the first one which isn’t just a portal to buying content, Voice Memo does indeed look very, very nice.
Using either the iPhone’s built in mic or an external, plug in mic, Voice Memo can record small voice notes, lectures, meetings, interviews, or any similar audio. The included editing tools allow you to trim your recordings, and they can be sent off the device via either email or the new MMS functionality announced at the same event.
While more feature-rich voice recorders will no doubt still be offered in the App Store, it’s nice to see Apple upping the base functionality without making us hit the App Store for the free Apple Remote or inexpensive Keynote Remote this time.
March 18th, 2009 at 7:26 am
And we can text the voice notes to!
March 18th, 2009 at 7:30 am
Q: is a mic for voice app connect to the 30-pin connector or through the headphone jack ?
I think is app is useful but I think they should of extended the iPhone’s voice capabilities and added voice recorgnition in this one app.
I wished they also added a Finder that might be able to sync to iTunes. This would come into use when you download an file from Mail. So I’d be able to add the supported document files by mail all in one location.
I dont think filing in mail is good enough.
GIMME FINDER !
March 18th, 2009 at 8:16 am
I’m pretty satisfied with the Voxie voice recorder app that I already got from the app store. This will probably just be another app I have to move out of the way along with Apple’s notes and weather apps. At least they finally made a app with a red icon.
March 18th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Well i just think it’s cool we can text them now…
March 18th, 2009 at 8:21 am
I long for the day that I can replace every third party app I have with an Apple version. Until then, goodbye iTalk recorder.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I love this. Integrates much better than iTalk and it allows background recording so I can read email or text while my phone records my class lecture.
I haven’t figured out yet how long a recording can be and how larger recordings can be transferred to my computer.
June 11th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
can it record a phone conversation?
June 11th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
I’m with Darwin… I got an alert saying that my 24 minute voice memo is too large to email. Any idea how to get the file off the iPhone without chopping it into little 2 minute bits?
June 12th, 2009 at 8:21 am
Solved – access through iTunes. http://www.apple.com/iphone/how-to/#voice-memos.syncing-voice-memos
June 20th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Doesn’t work with MMS at the moment. Trying to find out the max record time.
June 28th, 2009 at 12:44 am
Anyone else having problems with Voice Memos? I have been using it to record 2 hour class lectures, and my phone barely runs afterward. In fact, it take far too long to even be able to type in a name for the file. Then other apps barely run after I quit Voice Memos. I have to restart my phone to get anything to run properly.
I’m guessing it is a RAM problem, and I just purchased iStat to see what it can tell me about it.
Anyone else having similar troubles?
June 29th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
Anyone know how to sync an hour long voice memo to iTunes? Or even how to get one that long to even play? The voice memo app says I’ve recorded it but it won’t play. I can hear and sync smaller files just not the long one I have. And I’m afraid to trim it into little bits for fear of losing part of the memo.
July 4th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I’m having the same problem Liza is. I was doing research and dictated observations for 24 mins. I now have a file that will not play back and will not transfer over to MacBook (even after the proper sync’ing boxes are marked). It is driving me nuts. My questions are these:
Is anyone else having a similar problem?
Are other 3rd party apps better than Voice Memos?
Is there any way to rescue my data?
Thanks.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Someone advised me via Twitter that “The Missing Sync” software by Mark/Space worked. Costs around $40. http://www.markspace.com/
July 9th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Hi, Liza’s problem was mine. But I solved the problem by using Phoneview and I was able to succesfully get 2 hours voice memo out of ipod touch. I hope it was helpful to you. Regards.
July 10th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Nothing I record will play! It shows that it was recorded, shows the length of the recording, etc. But when you press play, the bar at the bottom just has 0’s at both ends and nothing plays. Anyone else had this problem or know of anything I can try? Any help would be appreciated.
July 10th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
no matter where i look cant seem to find anywhere that says how long it can record for..can someone enlighten me?
July 12th, 2009 at 9:44 am
I am having the same problem with long memo. I am unable to play it or download to Itunes. Hope someone has an answer.
July 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
This application is horrible. The first time i tried to use it, it was for a meeting and afterwards it wouldn’t let me save it and booted me out of the application so I lost my meeting recording. The second time I tried, it did save it but when I went back to gather a summary, it won’t stop loading. I let it load for at least 15 minutes, possibly more. I think I will stick with QuickVoice. You dropped the ball on this one Apple, and the worst part is, you can’t even delete it.
July 17th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
Even though the voice recorder didn’t knock my socks off I still think the iPhone is the best mobile experience available today, even with the HTC Hero launch. I pondered what to use the recorder for, thought about meetings, but decided it’s more of a fun app, rather than business app. As you can see, I just had fun with it.
August 7th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
I have a voice memo that is too large to email and I sync my music manually on my iphone. In order to sync my voice memos, I must sync my music and it will erase the music in my phone. Can I pull a voice memo off my phone without syncing the music. If not, if I sync my music, will I keep the voice memo? Any knowledge would be grand….
G
August 9th, 2009 at 11:10 am
i am about to use a workaround to get the large voice memo: the iphone backup, which is at ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ there are a lot of files with very ugly names. you can find your file either by date or easier by size, my 45 mintes make 258 MB. the file is of type mddata, but you can copy it to the destop and rename .m4a and then use whatever you need to.
August 14th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I am absolutely sick to the stomach, with the voice memo application from apple. The first few times that I’d used it were fine. I was able to chop them, send them and even open them again in iTunes. However, yesterday I had to conduct an interview for my thesis, and decided to use the voice memo app. I checked it the night before and also 30 minutes before going into the interview, just to make sure that all the volume settings were working, and that it was recording, and sending the files etc. So at the time of the interview, I pressed the record button and checked again, just as I had done 30 minutes before, the little meter needle was moving, and the timer/counter display was happily counting away. After 51m and 53s I turned it off and checked the file. Only to find that the file wouldn’t open. And it still won’t open, even after updating the iTunes software, updating all the apps, and backing up the iPhone too. Even though I can still see the file on my phone, it won’t open. I can’t chop it, I can’t send it, and the voice memos playlist doesn’t recognise the file either. And as for the interview, well, I guess I’m going to have to beg the lady to take part again. Thanks apple!
August 17th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
To Bettyswollox: Download the demo of PhoneView from Ecamm Network and see if it can play the interview recording before giving up.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:00 pm
well bettyswollox samething happened to me i want to retrieve the fie but cannot plese help me its really an important file
August 26th, 2009 at 8:05 pm
i have a voice memo 17m34s long and it will neither synch or play back. when i try to send message says it’s too long”
what can i do to retrieve message
August 27th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Yo! Yo! Yo! I got a solution… Go to:
http://www.iphone-explorer.com/
Download the app, then open up the window.. Under recordings you’ll see .mp4’s and .Mov’s copy over the .mov’s and they’ll play in Quicktime.. (or anywhere else for that matter)
worked like a charm for me! Good luck!
August 30th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Thanks Dr Strangelove! That worked when nothing else did! For some reason the memo was a .mov file, but it opens in quicktime or in itunes now!
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:14 am
Here how i got the large file voice memo out by useing Win SCP. (if you dont know how use that then go youtube it for instructions)
Once you get everything setup for win scp. Log on it and find the folder:
/private/var/mobile/media/recordings
You’ll see all your voice recording there.(should already be m4a. Use quicktime to play)
September 2nd, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I sent a voice memo to my friend using the e-mail function of the app… Now it won’t stop sending e-mails to my friend and she has been complaining! She already received 47 copies of the voice memo for the past 5 hours! help me! my e-mail is bjpredator0919@yahoo.com
September 21st, 2009 at 7:24 pm
Dr Strangelove…you RULE! Thanks for the HUGE save!
September 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I had the same problem – could not get all the recordings downloaded – but the iPhone explorer found everything! Very helpful!
October 1st, 2009 at 7:17 pm
the iphone explorer is brilliant. a million thanks
October 3rd, 2009 at 12:11 pm
Thanks for the tips. I had the same problem as others says the recording is there but does not play. In iTunes or on the phone. I downloaded iPhone explorer and I found the file copied it and opened it in QuickTime. The file still will not play!! Is it just corrupted…is there anything else I can do? It was an important file, from a business meeting.
October 8th, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I’m so frustrated. I’m recording my lectures. I expect that I can download them into itunes. Why would Apple make an voice recording app that we can’t get “voice memos” unless we sync our entire iphone? That is such an overlook! I expect microsoft to do that, but not Apple. booooo!
October 9th, 2009 at 12:47 am
OKAY I FOUND A SIMPLE SOLUTION! it looks long, but no extra programs or downloads needed!! I sync’d the iphone once, in order to get the “video memos” tab under my iPhone in iTunes. I don’t want to sync my entire iphone again. so after you have done it once (following apples instructions: http://www.apple.com/iphone/iphone-3gs/voice-memos.html) you will have a “video memos” tab under your iPhone in iTunes. By right clicking “video memos” you will see a “sync” option (only if you have NEW memos though), clicking that downloads your NEW memos into your iTunes library, you shall find them by their date and time organized by title! Simply done using your iPhone and iTunes!
October 9th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Just realized I wrote “video memos” and I meant “voice memos” ….cheers.
November 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 am
Is there a max time limit on a recording that i just want to play back from my iphone?
November 6th, 2009 at 8:52 am
How do I share a large voice memo? I’m realizing ‘large’ is more than about 5 minutes and some of these are over 2 hrs! I’ve gotten them to my mac in iTunes but can’t email from there. Do I have to burn them on a dvd? awkward