How do I trim a voice recording on my Samsung Galaxy?

Trimming voice recordings on Samsung Galaxy phones allows you to remove unwanted sections from the start or end of a recording. This can be useful for removing mistakes, silence, or irrelevant content to keep just the important parts. With Galaxy phones, you can easily trim recordings right on your device without needing desktop editing software.

This guide will provide step-by-step instructions for finding a voice recording, playing it back, trimming from the start and end, previewing your edits, saving the trimmed version, and sharing the final recording. By following these steps, Galaxy users can quickly clean up long recordings into concise files containing just the essential audio.

Trimming is an essential editing technique for anyone recording voice memos, interviews, lectures, or other spoken content on their Samsung device. Just a few taps can remove unwanted pauses or mistakes, improving your recordings before sharing.

Prerequisites

To trim voice recordings on a Samsung Galaxy phone, you’ll need a device running Android 9.0 or later. Most modern Samsung Galaxy models like the S10, S20, S21, and Note 10 series come with Android 9.0 Pie or later versions pre-installed.

Some older Galaxy models may need to be updated to Android 9.0 Pie or newer via a software update to get access to the built-in voice recorder app’s trimming feature. You can check your Android version in Settings > About Phone.

If your Samsung Galaxy phone is not able to update to Android 9.0 or later, you’ll need to download a third-party voice recording app from the Google Play Store that includes trimming capabilities, such as Smart Voice Recorder.

Locate Recording

To trim a voice recording on a Samsung Galaxy device, you first need to locate and open the recording you want to edit. The Voice Recorder app on Samsung Galaxy phones stores all of your voice recordings in one place for easy access.

To find your recordings:

Open the Voice Recorder app on your Samsung Galaxy. The app icon looks like a microphone.

Your recordings will be displayed in a list, with the most recent at the top.

Scroll through the list to locate the specific recording you want to trim. Tap the recording to open it.

Once you’ve opened the voice recording you want to edit, you’re ready to begin trimming.

(Source: https://www.samsung.com/uk/support/mobile-devices/how-do-i-use-the-voice-recorder/)

Play Recording

Once you have located the recording you want to trim in the Voice Recorder app, you can play it back to preview it. Simply tap on the recording in your list of recordings. This will bring up the playback screen. From here, tap the play button to listen to the recording.

As the recording plays back, you’ll be able to hear the full length version before trimming. You can pause, rewind, fast forward, and adjust the volume as needed while previewing the recording. This allows you to identify the sections you want to keep versus trim out.

According to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 guide on TheDroidGuy.com, you can test the playback and audio quality of recordings using the built-in Voice Recorder app on Samsung devices. This ensures the recording has properly captured audio before editing.¹

Trim Start

To trim the beginning of the recording on your Samsung Galaxy device:

Open the Voice Recorder app and tap on the recording you want to edit.

Tap on the editing icon (scissors image) at the bottom of the screen.
This will open up the trimming screen. You will see a waveform of the audio clip.
Tap and drag the left bracket on the waveform to the right until it reaches the point where you want the recording to begin.

The section to the left of the bracket will be trimmed off.
Tap the play icon to preview the trimmed start of the recording.
When you are satisfied, tap Done to save the changes.

Using the start trim button allows you to precisely control where the recording begins playing back. Trimming off any unwanted silence or noise from the start of the recording helps focus the listener on the main content.

Trim End

To trim the end of the recording on a Samsung Galaxy device, first locate and open the Voice Recorder app. Tap on the recording you want to edit to open it. Then tap on the scissors icon at the bottom of the screen, which will bring up the trimming tool.^[1]

You will see a play button in the center to preview the recording, and handles on either side that allow you to drag and define the start and end points. To trim the end, drag the right handle to the left until it reaches the point where you want the recording to end. Anything to the right of the end handle will be trimmed off. Use the play button to preview and ensure you have trimmed it to the desired point.

Once you are happy with the end point, tap the check mark button to complete the trim. The app will automatically save a new, trimmed copy of the recording. You can then share or work with this shortened version as needed, while the original full recording remains untouched in your audio files.

Preview Trimmed Recording

Once you have trimmed the start and end points of your voice recording, you will want to preview the trimmed recording to make sure you have removed the unwanted portions. The Voice Recorder app on Samsung Galaxy devices provides a simple way to preview your trimmed recording.

To preview the trimmed recording:

Tap the “Play” button in the Voice Recorder app. This will play back the recording from the new start point to the new end point.
Listen carefully to ensure only the desired portions of the original recording are included.
If you need to adjust the trim points further, tap the “Trim” button again to fine tune the start and end points.

The preview allows you to ensure your trimmed recording has retained just the portions you want before saving or sharing the file. It’s important to preview before exporting the recording, as you won’t be able to revert trims after saving the file.

Save Trimmed Recording

Once you have trimmed the audio file to your satisfaction, the next step is to save the trimmed version as a new file. On Samsung Galaxy devices, when you tap “Done” after trimming a recording, you will be prompted to save the changes or revert back to the original. To save the trimmed version, simply tap “Save”

This will bring up the standard Android save file dialog. You can choose where to save the new trimmed audio file, such as on your device’s internal storage or SD card. It’s recommended to change the file name so you don’t overwrite the original recording. Tap “Save” when you are ready and the trimmed audio file will be exported and saved as a separate file from the original.

Now you will have both the original full-length recording as well as the trimmed down version that you can share or use as needed. The app does a good job making this process quick and seamless. Just a couple taps allows you to trim an audio recording down to the essential parts and save it as a new file [1].

[1] https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-trim-a-voice-record-on-windows-10/8000cc7d-900d-4474-aa92-db49869420a9

Share Trimmed Recording

Once you have trimmed your voice recording on your Samsung Galaxy device, you may want to share the trimmed audio file with others. One easy way to share the trimmed recording is via messaging apps like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, etc.

To share the trimmed recording via a messaging app:

Open the messaging app you want to use to share the recording.
Locate the trimmed audio file in your Gallery or File Manager app and tap to open it.

Tap the Share icon (usually 3 dots or lines in the top right corner).
Select the contact or group you want to share the recording with.
Type a message and tap Send.

The trimmed audio recording will be sent as an attachment to your selected recipients. They can then listen to the shared recording directly in the messaging app. Sharing via messaging apps provides a quick and easy way to send your trimmed voice recordings to friends, family, colleagues, and others.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to trim voice recordings on your Samsung Galaxy device, you can easily edit and share high-quality audio clips. To recap, start by locating the voice recording in the Voice Recorder app and tapping on it to play it back. Use the trim handles to set the start and end points of the clip you want to keep. Preview the trimmed recording, then tap Save or Export to create a new trimmed copy. You can then easily share the new audio file via messaging apps, social media, email, and more.

A few additional tips: Experiment with trimming to find the optimal start and end points. Listen with headphones for clearer audio monitoring. Save trimmed files to retain the original full recording. Adjust audio levels if the volume is too low. And consider using a third-party editing app for more advanced options. With a bit of practice, you’ll be able to quickly trim voice recordings into shareable soundbites.