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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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Is it worth paying for

Voice Memos

30
Value score / 100 Worth paying? No Skip it

Voice Memos by Apple is a free, pre-installed app that offers basic recording functionality, but its numerous bugs and lack of advanced features make it unreliable for important use cases and not worth any potential in-app purchases.

Free to download seen up to $24.99 4.8★ lifetime (1,040,247) since 2016

Voice Memos is a free, pre-installed Apple app for basic audio recording. While some users appreciate its simplicity for capturing thoughts or memories, many reviews highlight critical issues like recordings cutting off, disappearing, or failing to sync, making it unreliable for important use. There are no in-app purchases mentioned by users, and the app's core functionality is free.

Free vs paid

Voice Memos is a free, pre-installed application on Apple devices. There is no indication from user reviews that any core features are paywalled or require in-app purchases, despite price points being listed on the product page. Users experience its basic recording and playback features for free R3R5R7.

Value complaints

    Where it delivers

    • It is easy to use for basic recording and capturing thoughts or sounds.R3R34R42R663
    • Users enjoy it for personal memories, singing practice, or just for fun.R1R5R7R32
    • It can be used to record conversations or for songwriting ideas.R12R283R528
    Worth paying if

    Based on the user reviews, there are no features mentioned that require payment, so there is no scenario where paying for this app would be justified.

    Skip / stay free if

    You should skip this app if you need reliable recording, accurate transcription, or easy export and management of audio files R10R11R18. Users needing advanced features like voice changing, multi-track recording, or an equalizer should also look elsewhere .

    Evidence note: The reviews indicate that the app is free and pre-installed, with no user-reported in-app purchases or paywalls. The listed price points ($9.99, $24.99) are not mentioned by any users as actual purchases or required payments, suggesting they might be for other Apple services or an error in the prompt's interpretation of 'price points seen'. Therefore, the analysis focuses on the value of the free offering and the lack of justification for any potential payment.

    Frequently asked

    Is Apple Voice Memos free?
    Yes, Apple Voice Memos is a free, pre-installed application on Apple devices R375.
    Does Voice Memos have in-app purchases?
    User reviews do not mention any in-app purchases or paywalls for Voice Memos, indicating its core functionality is free R3R5R7.
    Why do my Voice Memos disappear or stop recording?
    Many users report issues with recordings stopping unexpectedly, disappearing, or failing to sync, which can lead to loss of important audio R10R11R18R45.
    Can Voice Memos transcribe audio to text?
    While some users mention a transcribe feature, many report it barely works, is inaccurate, or doesn't show the full transcript for longer recordings R157R297R449R458.

    What reviewers actually said

    Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

    1. [R3] 5/5 · US Record your thoughts and record birds and nature around you: This is a fun app to play with one time I recorded the sound of crunchy leaves other times I’ve recorded birds and even crickets
    2. [R34] 5/5 · US Ease of use: Very easy to use, anyone can do it! It auto records a title for your conversion in case you forget to add a title.
    3. [R42] 5/5 · US Nice and easy: This is easy to use
    4. [R663] 3/5 · CA Handy: Pretty good simple easy to use
    5. [R1] 5/5 · US Kind: I love it because I have so many memories
    6. [R5] 5/5 · US The good thing: I was happy with Voice Memos because it kept beautiful memories in here and I’m glad!
    7. [R7] 5/5 · US Awesome app: When im i’m bored, I just can’t listen to my old audios
    8. [R32] 5/5 · US Best app ever: It builds my confidence when I’m singing I just listen to myself instead of having to do in front of people and so yeah
    9. [R12] 5/5 · US Great: Perfect to have all my parents fights oh it
    10. [R283] 3/5 · GB Buggy: I use this all the time for songwriting, pretty much every day. The most annoying thing though is the first time you use it per day, it lags so much. I press the button to record and it will be frozen for like 30 seconds or a minute, meaning I often miss the idea we were trying to record in real time. PLEASE FIX THIS!
    11. [R528] 3/5 · CA very useful with one massive annoyance: Been using this to record notes and important conversations for myself and it works great! But there's a massive issue with the app: it randomly will just stop recording instantly the moment I press the record button, which creates a memo that's 0 seconds long and makes me have to rerecord.
    12. [R375] 3/5 · GB Good recording app: A good free recording app
    13. [R10] 3/5 · US Recording turns off for dumb reasons: I started recording 40 minutes ago and see that only 13 seconds were recorded. So, twice it happens that you turn on the camera and it turns off, you turn on video and it turns off. You lock the phone and it turns off! Fix it. · translated
    14. [R11] 1/5 · US Deleted voice memo: I had recorded the last conversation I had with my dad before he passed on here. I bought iCloud storage a few months after thinking the voice memo would sync and I wouldn’t ever lose it. During syncing, the voice memo was deleted and after contacting Apple was told they don’t know what happened and I haven’t been able to recover it since.
    15. [R18] 1/5 · US Distortion / erasure / instantaneous changes: Ongoing for 2.5 years.
    16. [R45] 1/5 · US Serious bug in iOS 26.5 system: Dear Apple developers, hello. Recently, when using the Voice Memos feature, I found that my iPhone 17 stops recording immediately when I tap 'start recording.' I am currently unable to resolve this issue, so I have given some negative feedback. I hope Apple development staff can pay attention to this issue promptly. I fully support Apple's development work and try to report minor issues as timely as possible, hoping Apple can enhance the user experience. Sincerely. · translated
    17. [R157] 3/5 · US Is usually my favorite app but…: the transcribe feature barely works. that was my favorite addition and now idk how to fix it
    18. [R297] 1/5 · GB Terrible: Just records and does not transcript.
    19. [R449] 3/5 · GB Nice but could be better: It’s pretty good, but the filing system can only hold 10 recordings with transcripts, after that you only get the voice recordings NO text The accuracy of the transcript is pretty good. But expect to go though it word for word and correct All in all, not bad
    20. [R458] 3/5 · GB Problem with update: I’ve been using this app for a long time and have been happy with it but the app is not giving me the option to transcribe. I’ve looked in the App Store for an update option but there isn’t one available. Please advise.

    Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store