AI WORLD HQTurn Voice Memos into Clear Notes with Apple Intelligence
Record a thought, transcribe it, and let Apple Intelligence summarise it into a tidy note you can read or share.
By the end of this guide, you'll be able to record a thought on your iPhone, get a written transcript of it, and have Apple Intelligence turn that transcript into a clean, short summary — perfect for saving, sharing, or finding later.
💡 Astuce: appuie sur le numéro d’une étape quand tu l’as terminée — une coche verte apparaît et ton navigateur retient où tu en étais.
- An iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16, 16 Pro or newer (or an iPad/Mac with an M1 chip or later). Apple Intelligence only runs on these devices.
- iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.1 (or newer). Update in Settings > General > Software Update if needed.
- Apple Intelligence turned on — go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and follow the prompts. The first-time setup can take a few minutes.
- The Voice Memos app (pre-installed) and the Notes app (also pre-installed).
- Around 5 to 10 minutes in total. The feature is free — no paid plan needed.
Open Voice Memos and start recording
Tap the Voice Memos icon on your Home Screen. The app opens to your list of past recordings (or a clean screen if it's your first time). Look at the bottom-centre of the screen and tap the large red round button with a red dot inside it. Recording begins right away — a wavy line appears on screen and a small timer starts counting up in the top corner. If the layout looks different on your device, look for a button labelled "Record" or an icon shaped like a microphone.
You'll know it worked when the timer is counting and the red waveform is moving on the screen.
Speak clearly at a natural pace
Hold the phone about 15 to 20 cm from your mouth (roughly a hand's length) and talk as if you were explaining your idea to a friend. The waveform will jump higher when you speak and flatten during pauses, so you can see it's picking you up. Try to avoid rustling paper or tapping the phone while you talk, because that adds noise. If your recording is meant for someone else, imagine they're listening — short, complete sentences are easier to transcribe than one long run-on thought.
You'll know it worked when the recording continues without dropping out and the waveform reacts to every sentence you say.
Stop the recording and give it a useful name
Tap the red square stop button (it replaces the record button while you're recording). The app saves your memo straight away and shows a label called "New Recording" at the top. Tap that label and type in a real name so you can find it later. Renaming only takes a second and saves you a lot of scrolling when you have dozens of memos. If your version doesn't show a name field at the top, look for a small "⋯" menu inside the recording and choose "Edit Recording" or "Rename".
You'll know it worked when you see your recording in the list with the new name sitting above the date and length.
Open the written transcript
Tap on your saved recording to open it. You'll see the play button and a waveform at the top of the screen. Now look just below that for a small transcript button — it often looks like a little speech bubble, an "Aa" icon, or three short lines of text. Tap it, and after a moment a written version of what you said appears, with each word synced to the audio. You can tap any word in the text to jump the playback straight to that point. If you don't see a transcript button on first try, scroll down the page — on some iOS versions it sits further down, or it may be hidden behind a "⋯" menu labelled "Show Transcript".
You'll know it worked when you can read your spoken words as text on the screen and play the audio while following along.
Copy the transcript and ask Apple Intelligence to summarise
Long-press on any word in the transcript, then choose "Select All" followed by "Copy" from the pop-up menu. Open the Notes app, start a new note, and paste the text in. Tap inside the text so the keyboard appears, and you'll see a small toolbar above the keyboard with Apple Intelligence tools. Look for a button labelled "Summarise" (or a sparkle ✨ icon labelled "Writing Tools"). Tap it and choose "Summarise". Apple Intelligence will read your transcript and replace the long version with a short summary — usually two to four bullet points or a short paragraph. If the summary isn't quite right, you can try again, or pick a different style like "Key Points" or "Make Shorter".
You'll know it worked when a shorter, organised version of your transcript appears in the note, ready to read, search, or share.
Review, tidy up, and save
Read the summary once from top to bottom. Apple Intelligence usually captures the gist, but it can miss a small detail or phrase something awkwardly — quick edits now will save confusion later. Add or remove anything important, then tap "Done" in the top-right corner (or just close the note — Notes auto-saves). Your summary now lives in Notes, where you can search it, share it with a tap, or set a reminder against it. If you also want the original transcript kept, leave it in the same note below the summary, separated by a heading.
You'll know it worked when you can find your summary again by searching Notes, and when reading it takes only a few seconds instead of listening to the full memo.
- Recording in a noisy room. Loud music, traffic, or other voices make transcripts messy. Move somewhere quieter, or hold the mic closer to your mouth.
- Forgetting to turn on Apple Intelligence. If the Summarise button never appears, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and make sure it's actually switched on. The very first setup can take several minutes in the background.
- Trusting the summary blindly. Apple Intelligence is good at shortening, but it can drop a small but important detail. Always read the summary once and add anything that's missing before you share it.
Record a 30-second voice memo right now about anything on your mind — what you did today, a thought about a project, or a reminder for tomorrow. Then follow Step 5 and watch Apple Intelligence summarise it in a few seconds.
❓ Questions rapides
Combien de temps ça prend ?
Environ 6 minutes — le guide compte 6 étapes, que vous pouvez cocher au fur et à mesure.
De quel outil ai-je besoin ?
Ce guide utilise Apple Apple Intelligence — mais la méthode fonctionne de façon très similaire dans d’autres assistants IA.
Dois-je préparer quelque chose ?
- An iPhone 15 Pro, 15 Pro Max, 16, 16 Pro or newer (or an iPad/Mac with an M1 chip or later). Apple Intelligence only runs on these devices.
- iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 or macOS Sequoia 15.1 (or newer). Update in Settings > General > Software Update if needed.
- Apple Intelligence turned on — go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and follow the prompts. The first-time setup can take a few minutes.
- The Voice Memos app (pre-installed) and the Notes app (also pre-installed).
- Around 5 to 10 minutes in total. The feature is free — no paid plan needed.
Quelles erreurs éviter ?
- Recording in a noisy room. Loud music, traffic, or other voices make transcripts messy. Move somewhere quieter, or hold the mic closer to your mouth.
- Forgetting to turn on Apple Intelligence. If the Summarise button never appears, go to Settings > Apple Intelligence & Siri and make sure it's actually switched on. The very first setup can take several minutes in the background.
- Trusting the summary blindly. Apple Intelligence is good at shortening, but it can drop a small but important detail. Always read the summary once and add anything that's missing before you share it.
À lire ensuite
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Un e-mail sympathique chaque dimanche — les 5 actus qui comptaient, en langage clair. Pas de spam, désinscription à tout moment.
✦ Guide original pas à pas de l'équipe éditoriale IA d'AI World HQ Rédigé en langage clair, vérifié pour l'exactitude.
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