How do I record on my phone just audio?

Recording audio on your smartphone can be incredibly useful for capturing interviews, lectures, meetings, or personal memos on the go. The built-in microphone on most phones today can record high-quality audio that’s good enough for many purposes. With audio recording apps, you can save files and easily share them or edit them later on your phone. Some key examples where recording audio on your phone comes in handy include:

Recording a phone or in-person interview for a podcast, news article or research project
Taking audio notes during an important business meeting or classroom lecture

Capturing your thoughts and ideas quickly while they’re fresh on your mind
Preserving memories by recording conversations with friends or family
Creating simple melodies by beatboxing or singing into your phone

With a few easy steps, you can enable microphone access and start recording using either your phone’s default audio recording app or by downloading a third party app from an app store. The key is knowing where to find the audio recordings on your phone’s storage and how to edit, trim or share them.

Enable Microphone Access

In order to record audio on your Android phone, you first need to make sure microphone access is enabled for your recording app. To do this:

Go to your phone’s Settings app and select “Apps & notifications”. From there, choose “App permissions” then select “Microphone”. You will see a list of apps that have requested microphone access. Make sure the toggle is turned on for the recording app you want to use. This allows that app to access your phone’s microphone and capture audio.

Some common recording apps like Voice Recorder or Google Voice may already have microphone access enabled by default. But many third party recording apps will need it enabled manually. If you are having trouble recording audio in an app, check here to ensure microphone access is turned on.

Enabling microphone access permissions allows your chosen recording app to access your phone’s microphone. Just remember to disable access again later for any apps you don’t want listening in.

Use Default Recording App

Most phones have a default audio recording app that allows you to easily record just audio. This app is pre-installed on iOS and Android devices.

On an iPhone, the Voice Memos app allows you to record audio-only memos. To use it, simply open the Voice Memos app and tap the red record button. You can pause, resume, and stop recordings as needed. Voice Memos records in M4A format. Recorded memos are saved to the Voice Memos app where you can playback, share, or delete them.

On Android phones, the pre-installed Sound Recorder or Voice Recorder app lets you record audio. Open the app, tap the record button, and it will record audio until you manually stop it. Sound Recorder saves recordings as M4A files. You can find your recordings within the app for playback or sharing.

The benefit of using your phone’s default recording app is that it is simple, integrated, and does not require downloading any additional software. Just open the app and start recording high-quality audio memos or recordings easily.

Download Third Party Apps

In addition to the default recording app on your phone, there are many great third party apps you can download to record audio.

Some top options include:

Otter – This app transcribes your recordings and allows you to search through them. It has a free plan with limited minutes.

Google Voice – Google’s app can record calls as well as audio memos. It integrates with other Google services.
Rev – Rev offers great transcription services and can record audio on iOS and Android.
Sonix – This transcription app allows unlimited recording and transcription up to 60 minutes per month for free.

Third party apps often have more features than default options, like transcription, cloud storage, or editing capabilities. They are worth exploring to find one tailored to your specific needs.

Where Audio Files are Saved

On Android devices, recorded audio files are typically saved to the internal storage in a folder specific to the recording app being used. For example, recordings made with the built-in Recorder app are stored in the folder “Recorder” under Internal Storage > Android > data > com.google.android.apps.recorder.

However, the exact save location can vary by device manufacturer. On Samsung devices, recordings may be saved to Internal Storage > My Files > Voice Recorder. Some third party recording apps like Easy Voice Recorder also let you customize the storage location and save to external SD card.

On iOS devices, audio recordings are saved to the Voice Memos app. The files can be accessed within the app or by connecting your iPhone to a computer and accessing the Voice Memos folder in iTunes. An easier option is to use the Share button in the Voice Memos app to save a copy of the recording to iCloud Drive or other locations.

The key difference is that iOS stores all recordings made with the Voice Memos app in one centralized place. On Android, the storage location depends on which recording app is used. Knowing the app’s save folder makes it easier to locate and manage recordings.

Sources:

Where are voice recording files stored? (Android 10)
byu/jerlyd88 inAndroidQuestions

https://support.google.com/pixelphone/thread/22158385/where-exactly-are-the-recordings-from-the-recorder-app-saved?hl=en

Record Longer Audio

When recording long audio files like speeches, interviews, or concerts, your phone’s storage can fill up quickly. Here are some tips to record lengthy audio without running out of space:

Enable a high quality audio setting in your recording app like 96kbps or 128kbps rather than using the default setting. While this will take up more space per minute, the audio quality will be much better especially for long recordings. Just be aware of how much storage space you have left.

Consider using an external microphone plugged into your phone’s headphone jack or USB-C port. External mics generally capture better audio quality than built-in smartphone mics.

If possible, transfer the audio files from your phone to a computer or cloud storage periodically as you record. This prevents the phone’s storage from filling up fully during a long recording session.

Switch to airplane mode before recording. This will prevent interruptions from calls or notifications. It also reduces battery drain allowing you to record for longer periods.

If your phone supports expandable storage, use an SD card for recording lengthy audio. A high capacity card can store hours of high quality audio recordings.

Bring a portable battery pack with you, especially if recording audio for multiple hours. This will keep your phone from running out of power during long sessions.

Use an audio recording app that offers cloud syncing like Evernote, OneNote or Google Keep. As the recording saves to the cloud, your phone’s storage will not max out.

Improve Audio Quality

There are several ways to get better audio quality when recording on your smartphone:

Use a third-party app like Voice Record Pro which allows you to adjust audio settings like bitrate and sample rate for higher quality recordings.

Enable “lossless” audio recording in your smartphone’s settings if available, like on iOS. This captures uncompressed audio for the best quality.

Add an external microphone to your smartphone, which can drastically improve audio quality compared to using the built-in microphone.

Get closer to the sound source to pick up better audio volume and clarity.

Record in a quiet environment to reduce background noise.

Use a phone tripod to hold your phone steady and avoid vibrations.

Consider using an audio interface to connect external mics and instruments for professional-grade recordings.

Listen back with high-quality headphones to better assess the recording quality.

Edit Recorded Audio

After you’ve recorded audio on your phone, you may want to edit it to remove unwanted sections, combine multiple recordings, or enhance the audio quality. There are several apps you can use on both iPhone and Android to edit audio recordings:

Hokusai Audio Editor is a free app for iOS and Android that provides basic editing tools like trimming, fading, adjusting volume, applying filters and more. You can import audio from your phone’s recordings or from cloud storage.

For more advanced editing, Lexis Audio Editor (free on iOS and Android) allows you to cut, copy and paste sections of an audio file. You can remove background noise, amplify quiet sections, and apply various effects. The app also enables you to export the finished audio file.

On iPhone, GarageBand is a full-featured music creation studio that you can use for editing podcasts, interviews, or other speech audio. You can split clips, adjust volume, add effects and fades. GarageBand even provides advanced tools like pitch correction.

For Android users, WavePad Audio Editor offers professional-level editing tools like cut, copy, paste, insert, silence, auto-trim and more. You can work with many audio formats and enhance recordings by reducing background noise and amplifying voices.

Online options like EaseUS Online Audio Editor allow you to edit recordings right in your web browser. Just upload the audio file, make your edits, then download the finished piece.

Share Audio Recordings

Once you have recorded audio on your phone, you may want to share it with others. There are a few easy ways to send audio recordings from your phone.

To share via text message on an iPhone, open the Voice Memos app and tap the share icon next to the recording you want to send. You can then choose to send it as a message via iMessage or SMS. The recording will be sent as an attachment that the recipient can play directly in the messages app (1).

On Android phones, open the audio file in your file manager app, tap and hold to select it, choose the share option and then select the messaging app you want to use. The recording will be sent as an attachment (2).

To email an audio recording, repeat the same process of accessing the share menu and choose email. The recording will be sent as an attachment that the recipient can listen to on any device.

You can also upload audio files to cloud storage platforms like Google Drive, Dropbox or iCloud Drive and share access via a link. This allows you to send longer recordings that may be too large to attach directly to an email or message.

Conclusion

Recording audio on your phone is easy with the default recording app or third party apps. The key things to remember are:

Enable microphone access for recording apps in your phone’s settings.
Use your phone’s default Voice Recorder or Voice Memos app for quick and easy recording.
Download specialized recording apps from app stores for more options and better audio quality.

Know where your audio files are saved, like in Music or Files folders.
Record longer memos by monitoring file size limits or using apps that support unlimited recording.
Improve audio quality by getting closer to your phone’s mic, using headphones as a mic, or using an external mic.

Edit recordings by trimming, cutting, adjusting levels, or adding effects in audio editing apps.
Share recordings via email, messaging apps, cloud storage, or uploading to platforms.

With a few simple steps, you can easily record audio memories, music, interviews, lectures, and more with just your smartphone.