How to record in stereo using my iPhone, iPad or Mac?

To record in stereo you first need a stereo audio input. Most recent devices have multiple internal microphones and will let you record in stereo (this includes the iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 3rd generation and later). For other devices, you will need an external stereo microphone plugged in the Lightning or USB connector. Even if your device can record in stereo using the internal microphones, you might want to use an external microphone to improve the quality of the recording. If your device has a Lightning port, some external microphones can connect directly to it. But it is more likely that you will use a USB microphone connected to a USB to Lightning adapter connected to your device. Note that due to restrictions in the Bluetooth standard, Bluetooth microphones do not let you record in stereo.

Second, you also need an active subscription to "Audio Memos Pro+". Note there are two subscription types: "Pro" and "Pro+". You need "Pro+". Press the "i" button under the list of memos, then choose "Subscription" to see or change your subscription. To see the "Pro+" subscription, press on "More Options".

Once your device has a stereo input and an active "Pro+" subscription, press the "+" button on top of the list of memos and choose "Create a new memo". On the recording screen you will see a "Stereo" toggle. Enable it to record in stereo. If you do not see the toggle, then Audio Memos did not detect a stereo audio input. You can also open the settings inside the app and activate the "Stereo" setting in the section called "New memo default settings". This will let you automatically record in stereo every time you start recording (so also when you press the "Record" button under the list of memos). If you do not see this setting, ensure you have an active subscription.

Once everything is configured for stereo recording, we recommend you test your setup. Start recording and look at the sound meters. There should be a sound meter for every audio channel. If you see two sound meters then you are recording in stereo (otherwise check your setup). While recording, the text describing the current audio input indicates the number of available channels. For example, when recording in stereo using the iPhone's internal microphone, the description should indicate "iPhone microphone (2.0)".

You can identify memos recorded in stereo from the memo detail screen. The "Stereo" field will indicate "Yes" if the memo was recorded in stereo. "No" will be shown if the memo is in mono. The size of the memo can also give you a hint, as memos recorded in stereo require about twice the amount of storage compared to mono.