How to transcribe a memo?

Audio Memos lets you convert recorded speech to text. This transcription process can be started manually or automatically (for new memos).

Transcribe existing memos

To transcribe an existing memo, follow these steps:

• Press the "i" button next to the name of the memo in the list of memos. This will display the detail screen for the memo.
• Press on "Transcription". This will show the current transcription of the memo (it will be empty if the memo has never been transcribed).
• Press the "Transcribe" button at the bottom of the screen.
• Change the transcription language if needed.
• Finally, press transcribe.

While the memo is being transcribed, a progress indicator is visible on the "Transcription" screen. One will also be shown in the list of memos. Note that Audio Memos has to stay visible on the screen of your device while the memo is being transcribed (so you cannot switch apps or turn off the screen). Once the transcription is finished, go to the "Transcription" screen to read it.

If the transcription is still empty after the transcription process finishes, an error must have occurred. Currently, transcription errors are only displayed if the "Transcription" screen is visible when the error occurs. We recommend to stay on that screen during the transcription process.

Note that currently only one transcription process can be active at a time. This means that you need to wait until a memos finishes transcribing before starting to transcribe another memo.

Automatic transcription

It is also possible to automatically transcribe every new memo you record. To do so:

• Press the wheel shaped button under the list of memos to open the settings inside Audio Memos.
• Scroll down to the section called "New memo default settings".
• Press on "Transcription".
• Choose a default transcription language and enable "Auto transcribe".

Once "Auto transcribe" is enabled, every new memo will be transcribed as it is being recorded. Audio Memos has to stay visible on the screen of your device during the whole recording process. Recording can happen while Audio Memos is in the background, but transcription is currently only possible while Audio Memos is the active app.

Note that if another memo is being transcribed when recording starts, the new memo will not be transcribed automatically. It will have to be manually transcribed after recording stops and after the ongoing transcription is finished.

Edition

The "Transcription" screen shows the text of the current transcription. This text can be modified freely. Spelling and transcription errors can be corrected and will be saved along with the memo. It is also possible to copy the whole text and paste it in another app.

Note that if you start a new transcription process, the existing text will be lost. However, if a transcription process is started from the "Transcription" screen, and that screen is visible when the process ends, you can choose to use the new transcription text or keep the old one.

Privacy

In order to transcribe a recording, audio is sometimes sent to a remote server. This is done over a secure connection. The servers use your recording to create a transcription, as well as to improve the accuracy of the transcription service.