How to record an interview on iPhone for your book: in person, by phone or on a video call

This guide covers one job: recording a book interview on the iPhone you already own, whether you are the author being interviewed or the author interviewing a client or expert. The room, distance and phone versus microphone question are in the recording setup guide. Here: which app to use, the exact taps, and getting the file off the phone safely.

Which way to record each kind of interview

In person: record with Voice Memos

Voice Memos comes with iPhone and lives in the Utilities folder. Apple says it records with the built-in microphone, a supported headset or an external microphone.

1. Choose the recording mode once

   Go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Voice Memos, then tap Recording Mode. Apple lists three: Mono (the same sound in both ears), Stereo, and Spatial Audio, which is not available on all models. Apple notes that when you export a recording to Files it is saved as .m4a by default and Spatial Audio becomes stereo.

2. Place the phone before anyone sits down

   Our advice: lay the phone on something soft, such as a folded napkin, a book or a cloth, so taps on the table and cups being set down do not thump through the recording. Put it close to the person whose stories you need, microphone end toward them. If two people will talk equally, put it in the middle and test both voices. Apple's tip for recording level is to move the microphone closer or farther away.

3. Stop interruptions

   Apple says you can use another app while recording, but if that app starts playing audio, Voice Memos stops recording. Our advice: before an in-person interview, switch on airplane mode or a Focus that silences calls and notifications, then make a ten-second test recording to confirm Voice Memos still records with that setting on. Apple also says turning on Silent mode in Control Center mutes the start and stop tones.

4. Pick how much background sound to keep

   In Voice Memos, open Control Center and tap Voice Memos at the top. Apple describes two options: Voice Isolation filters out background sounds, and Wide Spectrum includes them (Wide Spectrum is not on every model). Our advice: with two people talking, test both and keep the one where both voices are clearest.

5. Start recording and say the details out loud

   Tap the Record button. Apple says an orange dot appears while the microphone is in use. Then, on the recording, say the date, who is speaking, the chapter it is for, and ask the other person to confirm they are happy to be recorded for your book.

6. Pause for breaks, then resume

   Apple's guide describes recording in parts: swipe up from the top of the waveform for more detail, tap the Pause button to stop, and tap Resume to continue in the same recording. When you are finished, tap Done to save it.

7. Rename it before you put the phone away

   Apple says a new recording is saved as New Recording, or with the name of your location if Location Services is on. To change it, tap the recording, tap the name and type a new one. Use the chapter pattern below.

Voice Memos transcripts

Voice Memos can turn the speech in a recording into text. Apple's guide says audio transcription is available on iPhone 12 or later, in English (all variants), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese, and that it is not available in all countries or regions.

• While recording: swipe up from the top of the waveform, then tap the Transcription button to watch the transcript appear, with the current word highlighted. Tap it again to return to the waveform.
• After recording: tap the recording, tap the More button, then choose View Transcript to select and copy part of it, or Copy Transcript to copy all of it. Paste it into a document.
• Finding a story later: tap the Search button and type a word. Apple says the list then shows recordings with that text in the title or the transcription, and selecting a term in the transcription moves the playhead to that spot in the audio.

Our advice: treat it as a first draft for finding stories. Check names, numbers and anything you will quote against the audio, as the guide to transcribing an interview explains.

Phone interviews: Call Recording in the Phone app

Apple's guide says that in some countries and regions you can record a phone call when you are talking to one other person. Apple says call recording is not currently available in Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Egypt, the European Union, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, and points to its iOS and iPadOS Feature Availability page to check your language and region. Apple also tells you, before you begin, to make sure the other person is willing to be recorded.

1. Ask first, before you dial or as soon as they answer

   Tell them you would like to record the call for your book and ask for their OK, then ask again once recording so the answer is on the file.

2. Start the recording during the call

   In the Phone app, make the call. During the call, tap the More button, then tap Call Recording. Apple says both call participants hear an audio notice that the call is being recorded.

3. Stop it

   Tap the Stop button, or just hang up.

4. Find it in Notes

   Apple says iPhone saves call recordings to a Call Recordings folder in the Notes app; tap View Saved Call to go straight there. To play it later, open Notes, tap a note in the Call Recordings folder, then tap Play.

5. Save the audio as a file

   Open the note, tap the recording, tap the More button, then tap Save Audio Files and choose where to save it. Share Audio sends it on. Apple notes that deleting the audio recording also deletes its transcript, so save the file before you tidy up.

In select regions and languages, Apple says Notes also shows a transcript of the recorded call, with each speaker identified. From the More button you can choose Find in Transcript or Copy Transcript. Apple's own note is to verify the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it.

Call Recording is on by default, according to Apple. If you do not see it during a call, check Settings, then Apps, then Phone, then Audio Call Recording. Because Apple describes it as a feature for a call with one other person, plan three-way conversations as a video call instead.

Video call interviews

Use the video call app's own record button where it has one. Apps differ on who may record, whether everyone is told and where the file is saved, so read that app's own help page on recording and do a short test call first.

iPhone has its own option for your side of the call. Apple's guide describes Local Capture, which records audio and video directly to your iPhone from a videoconferencing app:

1. Open the video call app. Open Control Center, then touch and hold the Local Capture button. If you do not see it, Apple says to add it to Control Center first.
2. Tap Start Recording. To leave out video, select Audio Only.
3. After the call, Apple says the recording is saved in the Downloads folder in the Files app unless you choose another place. To change the default, go to Settings, then General, then Local Capture, then Save Location.

Our advice: if you are the author being interviewed over video, Local Capture of your side is a good backup. If the app's recording fails, your stories are still on your phone. Tell the other person you are doing it.

Get the file off the phone, named by chapter

Our rule: by the end of interview day, every recording has a chapter name and lives in two places.

Name it by chapter

Rename in Voice Memos (tap the recording, tap the name) using chapter first, then topic, session and date, so files sort in book order:

These are examples we wrote. The recording setup guide explains the full pattern, including chapter numbers for the introduction and gap-filling sessions. Inside Voice Memos you can also keep a folder per chapter: tap Select, choose recordings, tap the More button, tap Move to Folder, and create a new folder if you need one.

Export a copy

To share a recording from Voice Memos, Apple's steps are: tap the recording, tap the More Actions button, tap Share, then tap Options. Rendered creates a single .m4a file; Editable keeps effects and layers for a compatible device. For a transcriber, Rendered is the simple choice. Then send it with AirDrop, Mail, Messages or another option, or scroll down and tap Save to Files, choose a folder and tap Save.

Make the second copy

Apple's guide says that with Voice Memos turned on in iCloud (Settings, then your name, then iCloud, then See All, then Voice Memos), recordings appear on your iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to the same Apple Account. Our advice: treat that as syncing, not a backup, and also export the file to a second place you control. Save call recordings from Notes as audio files too.

If you delete a recording by mistake, Apple says deleted Voice Memos recordings go to the Recently Deleted folder and are kept for 30 days by default (you can change this in Settings, then Apps, then Voice Memos, then Clear Deleted). Recover it from there.

Consent: tell people and get their OK

Before you record anyone, tell them you are recording, say what it is for (your book), and get their OK before you start. Then ask again once the recording is running, so the answer is on the file. The notice Apple plays on recorded calls is not a substitute for asking.

Recording laws differ by country and by state, and some places require everyone on a call to agree. This is not legal advice. If you are unsure about the rules where you or the other person are, check them or ask a lawyer before you record.

If you would rather someone else run the interviews and write the book in your voice, you can book a free consult with Scribe Media to talk it through.