Guide

How to record and transcribe a meeting on iPhone (with who said what)

Updated October 2026 · 28 October 2026

To record and transcribe a meeting on iPhone, tell everyone you're recording, lay the iPhone flat in the middle of the table, and record with an app that writes the transcript for you. Voice Memos and Notes are free and give you the words as one block of text. An AI note taker such as Fenwrite also labels who said what and writes a summary with the decisions and to-dos. Whichever you use, check names and numbers against the audio before you send the notes round.

Before you press record

Most bad meeting transcripts are made before the meeting starts. Three things matter more than the app:

• Consent. Say you're recording. In some US states everyone in the conversation has to agree, and plenty of workplaces have a policy either way. If someone objects, take notes by hand.
• Distance. A phone microphone hears the nearest voice best. In the middle of a small table it hears everyone; at one end of a long table, the far end turns into mumbles. For a big room, move the phone toward the quiet talkers, not the loud ones.
• Interruptions. Turn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus. A buzzing phone is loud on a table, and you don't want an incoming call in the middle of the budget discussion.

The steps

1. Tell everyone you're recordingSay it at the start, and get a yes where the law or your workplace asks for one.
2. Silence the iPhoneTurn on Do Not Disturb or a Focus, so a notification or call doesn't interrupt the room or the recording.
3. Put it in the middle of the tableLay the iPhone flat where it can hear everyone, away from laptop fans and coffee cups. A notebook under it softens table knocks.
4. Start recording and check it hears youWatch the level meter or the first live words before the meeting gets going.
5. Do a round of namesA quick "I'm Maya, I run sales" helps any app separate the voices, and lets an AI note taker suggest names for each speaker.
6. Stop, then check before you shareFix speaker names, check numbers and proper nouns against the audio, then share the transcript or summary.

Option 1: Voice Memos (free, built in)

Voice Memos is the simplest way to record a meeting on iPhone. Open it, tap the red button, and tap again when you're done. Since iOS 18, it also writes a transcript: Apple's App Store listing says transcription works on iPhone 12 and later, in English. Open the recording and tap the transcript button to read it, or select the text and copy it into an email.

What you get is the words, as one running text. Apple doesn't describe speaker labels, a summary or action items for Voice Memos, so for a meeting with four people you'll be working out who said what yourself. It's ideal for a lecture, a voice note to yourself, or a one-to-one where you know whose words are whose. We go deeper in Does Voice Memos transcribe?

Option 2: Record inside Notes

The Notes app can also record audio and show a transcript inside a note (Apple's iPhone User Guide covers it under Notes, "Record and transcribe audio"). It's handy if you want your agenda and the recording in one place. The trade-offs are the same as Voice Memos: free, simple, and no labels for each voice.

Option 3: An AI note taker that knows who said what

If the point of recording is minutes, you want three things the built-in apps don't give you: speaker labels, a summary and the to-dos with owners. That's what AI note takers do. Some join video calls as a bot; for a meeting in a room you want one that simply listens through the phone. Fenwrite, Otter's mobile app, Notta and Granola's phone apps all record in person; they differ on price, limits and whether you need an account. Our comparison table lays them side by side.

Getting a transcript worth reading

• One voice at a time. Crosstalk is where every transcript breaks, and where speaker labels swap. If two people start together, the chair can say "Maya first".
• Say the numbers clearly. "Fifteen" and "fifty" are the classic slip. Repeat key figures and dates when you agree them: "So that's the fifteenth, Thursday."
• Name things. Say the project, client or product name in full the first time. Transcription is better with words it has heard in context.
• Check before you share. Read the decisions and to-dos against the recording. A summary is a draft written by software.

What about online meetings?

For Zoom, Google Meet or Teams, the platform's own recording and transcript features are the first thing to try. They tell everyone in the call that recording is on. Bot-based note takers join the call as an extra participant, which some teams like and others find intrusive. If you'd rather not add a bot, an in-room app can hear a call played on a laptop speaker like any other voice. We cover the trade-offs in AI note taker without a bot.

Where Fenwrite fits

Fenwrite is our app, so weigh this paragraph accordingly. Press record and the transcript writes itself while people talk, with each voice labelled. When someone says "I'm Maya", Fen suggests the name. When you stop, you get a title, the gist, the key points, what was decided and the to-dos with who owns them. There's no bot and no account needed, and the audio stays on your phone (it's sent to our speech-to-text provider only to be transcribed).

Honest limits: transcription needs the internet (if the connection drops, Fen keeps recording and catches up later), it can't import a recording you made in another app, and the free hour allows 10 minutes a recording: enough for a stand-up, not a board meeting. Fenwrite Pro allows up to 3 hours a recording. Fenwrite is coming soon to the App Store (iPhone and Apple Watch) and Google Play (Android).

Questions

Keep reading

AI note taker without a botRecord in the room instead of sending a bot, plus US and UK consent basics. Does iPhone Voice Memos transcribe?Yes, on iPhone 12 and later. How to see it, copy it, and what it leaves out. Fenwrite vs OtterOtter wins on its free tier and video calls; Fenwrite on price, long recordings and no bot.