{"id":52543,"date":"2026-07-11T22:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/?p=52543"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:20:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T20:20:27","slug":"apple-notes-now-with-audio-recording-and-automatic-transcription","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.apfelpatient.de\/en\/tipps-tricks\/apple-notizen-jetzt-mit-audioaufnahme-und-automatischer-abschrift","title":{"rendered":"Apple Notes: Record audio and convert it to text"},"content":{"rendered":"

In meetings, lectures, or when thinking aloud, there's often no time to take notes. The Notes app takes care of exactly that: It records audio directly into a note, creates a searchable transcript in real time, and summarizes what was said if desired. What began with iOS 18 is now also available in German \u2013 and becomes noticeably more accurate with iOS 27.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Notes app was long a simple place for snippets of text and a few images. Over the years, it has evolved into a versatile tool that recognizes handwriting, allows sketching, and, since iOS 18, also records and transcribes audio. However, for the smart summaries, Apple Intelligence must be set up<\/a> \u2013 recording and transcription alone works without it. How the three components \u2013 recording, transcription, and summarization \u2013 interact, which devices and languages they require, and what changes iOS 26 and iOS 27 bring, can be explained step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Requirements: Devices, languages, and Apple Intelligence<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The requirements warrant a closer look, as recording, transcription, and summarization have different requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feature<\/th>Requirement<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Audio recording in a note<\/td>iPhone, iPad or Mac with the latest Notes app<\/td><\/tr>
Automatic transcription (without Apple Intelligence)<\/td>iPhone 12 or later, supported iPad models, or Mac with M1 (or later)<\/td><\/tr>
Supported languages<\/td>German, English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Japanese, Korean and Chinese (Simplified and Traditional)<\/td><\/tr>
AI Summary<\/td>Additionally, an Apple Intelligence-enabled device with Apple Intelligence activated.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It's important to distinguish between transcription and summary: The transcription itself runs on an iPhone 12 and doesn't require Apple Intelligence. Only the additional summary requires an AI-enabled device. The device language is also crucial \u2013 transcription only works if it's set to a supported language. This support for German-language devices was introduced with iOS 18.4; since then, transcription also works in German. If the transcript icon doesn't appear, the device either doesn't meet the requirements or doesn't recognize a supported language. The AI summary, on the other hand, uses the language settings provided by Apple Intelligence<\/a>, which may differ from the transcription list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to record audio and convert it to text \u2013 step by step<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here's how to record and convert the spoken words directly into text:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Open the Notes app and create a new note or open an existing one.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Tap the attachment icon (paperclip) and select "Record audio".<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Start recording using the record button. While it's running, you can display the live transcript via the transcript icon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. End the recording with the stop button. The recording and transcript will be saved directly in the note.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    You can then do quite a few things with the finished transcript:<\/p>\n\n\n\n