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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Voice Memos & Sound Recorder

35
User verdict / 100 High confidence In trouble

Voice Memos & Sound Recorder offers good recording quality and basic functionality, but is severely hampered by aggressive monetization, frequent review prompts, and critical bugs that lead to lost recordings and non-functional transcription features.

4.6★ lifetime (13,634) Free + in-app purchases since 2020 by Protection & Security App LLC updated 1.1 mo ago recent negative 41% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Lost Recordings Monetization & Pricing Review Prompts Transcription Issues User Experience & Bugs Basic Recording Quality
5★172
4★45
3★36
2★28
1★148
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.6★ lifetime average

Voice Memos & Sound Recorder is a utility app that provides recording capabilities, with some users praising its sound quality and ease of use for basic tasks. However, recent reviews highlight significant issues including unexpected subscription requirements, lost recordings, and a transcription feature that often fails to work as advertised. The app also frequently prompts users for reviews, which many find intrusive.

What users like

  • Good sound quality for recordingsR16R17R108R365
  • Easy to use for basic recordingR11R28R31R57
  • Helpful for capturing melodies, thoughts, or speechesR11R69R82R105
  • Allows organizing recordings into folders, a feature missing from some built-in appsR96

What users complain about

  • Recordings frequently disappear or are lost, especially after renaming or app updatesR1R2R13R18
  • Aggressively prompts users for reviews, often interrupting usageR5R8R9R24
  • Transcription feature is unreliable, inaccurate, or non-functional, despite being a key selling pointR6R14R29R30
  • Unexpectedly requires subscriptions or payment for basic features, even for existing recordingsR1R10R19R39
  • Users report fraudulent billing or difficulty canceling free trials without being chargedR10R33R35R36
  • Lack of clear instructions or support for editing, trimming, or troubleshootingR5R7R215R426
  • App can stop recording in the background or when the phone closesR45R263
  • Difficulty transferring recordings between devices or from Apple WatchR65R271

Latest update · v11.3

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Hey there, Squashed all the nasty bugs for you and made our app run even smoother, then butter! Hope you like and enjoy using our app as much as we do. Can't wait to hear back from you guys. Cheers!

Recurring themes

Lost Recordings negative
Many users report losing important recordings, sometimes years' worth, after app updates, renaming files, or without clear reason. This is a critical flaw for a recording app.R1R2R13R18
Monetization & Pricing negative
Users are frustrated by unexpected subscription requirements, high prices (e.g., $24.99, $105.99, $98.95 annual fee), and being locked out of existing recordings without payment. There are also reports of fraudulent billing and difficulty canceling trials.R1R10R12R19
Review Prompts negative
A pervasive complaint is the constant and intrusive pop-ups asking for reviews, often interrupting recording or playback, which users find extremely annoying and disruptive.R5R8R9R24
Transcription Issues negative
The transcription feature, a key draw for many, is widely reported as not working, being inaccurate, or only transcribing short segments, and often lacks functionality to copy or share the text.R6R14R29R30
Basic Recording Quality positive
Despite numerous issues, some users find the app's core recording function to be good, providing clear sound and being easy to use for capturing audio.R16R17R28R31
User Experience & Bugs negative
Beyond lost recordings and review prompts, users report issues like the app stopping in the background, difficulty with editing or renaming files, lack of syncing, and general clunkiness, contradicting developer claims of 'squashed bugs' and 'smoother' operation.R5R7R11R12

Who it's for

This app might be for users who need a simple voice recorder for short, non-critical audio notes and don't mind frequent interruptions or potential payment issues R11R57R105. It is NOT for anyone who relies on transcription, needs to store important recordings, or wants a reliable, ad-free experience R1R6R8R30.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, with recurring themes of lost recordings, aggressive monetization, and non-functional features. While some positive reviews praise basic recording, the volume and severity of negative feedback suggest a significant decline in user satisfaction, especially concerning core functionality and ethical practices.

Frequently asked

Does Voice Memos & Sound Recorder offer a free version?
While the app is listed as free, many recent reviews indicate that it quickly forces users to pay for a subscription or membership, even after a single recording, or to access existing recordings R1R39R40R43. Some users report being unable to try the app's features, like transcription, without paying .
Can I transcribe recordings with this app?
The app advertises a transcription feature, but numerous users report it is unreliable, inaccurate, only transcribes short segments, or does not work at all R6R14R29R30. Even when it works, some users find they cannot copy or share the transcribed text .
Are recordings safe and secure in the app?
Many users have reported losing important recordings, sometimes years' worth, due to various issues such as app updates, renaming files, or recordings simply disappearing R1R2R13R18. This suggests that recordings are not reliably saved or accessible.
Does the app frequently ask for reviews?
Yes, a very common complaint among users is that the app incessantly asks for reviews, often interrupting recordings, playback, or general navigation R5R8R9R24.

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. [R16] 5/5 · US Easy recording produced excellent sound!: 👍🏽
  2. [R17] 5/5 · US SOUND RECORDER.: QUALITY SOUND AND LESS FEED BACK
  3. [R108] 4/5 · US Quality recording: I love the quality of the recording. I got back from the microphone how simple it may be did a good job.
  4. [R365] 3/5 · GB Voice memo: Easy to use and excellent quality
  5. [R11] 4/5 · US A Helping Assistant: I am a singer/songwriter/musician. Often a melody will start to play in my head, and this is a great place to capture it! Once I start playing or humming the tune that the Universe Divine has presented me with to write a new song, I find the iPhone, open up Voice Memo and Sound Recorder and hit record. There it is saved and I don’t lose a new melody or idea for a song. The re
  6. [R28] 5/5 · US So Good!: Very easy to record! Every day!
  7. [R31] 5/5 · US Wonderful tool!: When I need to record a thought, memo or conversation this is the app to use. All you have to do is open it on your phone and record. Good quality and always improving.
  8. [R57] 5/5 · US As promised: Recorder does what is says, no messing around like other similar space apps! Can open and be recording immediately which for myself is the whole point of having the app.
  9. [R69] 5/5 · US Love this app I’m a Local Reggae Artist and if I feel a: Vibe to do a song I can record it so I remember the vibrations💋
  10. [R82] 5/5 · US What a great tool to have !!!: I love this app!!!! It helps me learn my speeches I’m able to record playback and listen to my work to better my self
  11. [R105] 5/5 · US AMAZING! 💕: I actually can't believe just a few people downloaded this! This app is truly convenient. I regret not downloading it earlier. It enables me to monitor my high notes, and as it stores my singing, I can replay and analyze my performance whenever I desire to evaluate my sound. This app has been a great help in improving my singing skills, and I'm truly grateful for it. I havent yet to co
  12. [R96] 5/5 · US Basic needs covered: Still learning this app but I really like it so far. So grateful to have folders for my voice memos. Shocking the built in app on the iPhone doesn’t have such a simple feature. This is a must have because the regular memo app is lacking tbh.
  13. [R1] 1/5 · US Horrible: Price is Too high. Didn’t use to be a price. Also… You deleted several of my very important meeting logs. Over a years worth.
  14. [R2] 5/5 · US 04.15.26 important recording: Shows recording of select board meeting. Recording disappeared when stopped and asked to listen to
  15. [R13] 1/5 · US Sucks: Does not save
  16. [R18] 1/5 · US Junk: All my files got lost after upgraded iPhone! Be careful
  17. [R5] 3/5 · US Mehh…: It is not clear how to edit a recording to keep one part and discard the rest, even tho there is an « edit «  button. Also it is constantly asking for a review. Frustrating. I hate also being asked for a comment. bothersome.
  18. [R8] 1/5 · US Incessantly Begging for Reviews: Looking for an easy app to use for recording voice memos, this app’s UX is currently designed around the team’s desire to flash the “usefulness” of their app. At launch, the app will display a collage of high user ratings. Then, as you click through the app, pop-ups soliciting for reviews will come up time and again. This is a visually noisy app and you’re better o
  19. [R9] 2/5 · US Incessantly Asks For Rating: Too aggressive about ratings.
  20. [R24] 4/5 · US Interruption: So far I like it, but, when I am trying to work (record) it keeps asking me, how do you like it? I’m doing this review to hopefully stop this prompt and finish a project. The settings can be a bit more intuitive. But that is more of a whine than an actual complaint that affects my experience. If the prompts stop most likely I will have have a 5 star review.
  21. [R6] 1/5 · US Rip off: This is a rip off , transcription isn’t working and it’s the main reason why I purchased it
  22. [R14] 1/5 · US Transcription not working for me which is what i bought it for: bummer! hoping for a refund
  23. [R29] 1/5 · US What am I paying for?: This app records well and that’s about it. Transcribe is iffy. Consistently asked the language, there should be a way to store it. App stalls skips transcription of large parts of a recording. This app needs work. Needs to be user friendly and way less clunky. Also stop asking me to rate the app every touch I make in it, super annoying.
  24. [R30] 1/5 · US Disappointed: I downloaded this app specifically for its advertised transcription feature, but unfortunately, it did not work at all. The transcription was either completely inaccurate or didn’t appear. I wasted a lot of time trying to get it to work, and there's no helpful support or instructions. Very disappointing, definitely not what was promised.
  25. [R10] 1/5 · US Why does app even exist?: I can’t see a single feature this app does better than the built in app. Why would anyone want or develop this? And cation - the 3-day trial ending auto-subscribes you for a year!
  26. [R19] 1/5 · US Subscription required: I’m not paying a subscription for this
  27. [R39] 1/5 · US Where did my recordings go?: I had this app since my first born in 2022 and had precious recordings from when he was a newborn to now. I opened the app today and now I have to have a subscription to access them? I really hope they’re still there or I’ll be devastated.
  28. [R33] 1/5 · US FRAUD: I was offered 2 days of free subscription and was charged $105.99 5 mins later- please help
  29. [R35] 1/5 · US Need Refund: Cancelled before Free Trial was over then was charged the $98.95 for Annual fee. No way to contact them for refund!!!
  30. [R36] 1/5 · US DO NO SIGN UP FOR FREE TRIAL!!!! Terrible app and fraudulent billing!!!: I signed up for a three day free trial. I only really had two days to cancel. I signed up for the regular service, but was charged for premium. And I was not given any options for refund no matter who I spoke to. Do not get this app you will be billed fraudulently!
  31. [R7] 3/5 · US Can’t find how to trim a recording: The app says there's a way
  32. [R215] 3/5 · US Instructions: Need more how to’s! Help
  33. [R426] 3/5 · AU This app is not simple to use or edit: Compared to other Voice Recorder apps, I find this to be complex - does not have simple controls for editing in particular.
  34. [R45] 3/5 · US It meeeds some improvement: To the people who made this app. When the app is running in the background the volume slowly goes down and it cuts off. I would give it 5 stars if this bug can be fixed. I want it to run in the background and keep playing until I cut it off. Please!!! Thank you!!
  35. [R263] 3/5 · GB DIES WITH IPHONE: The latest version of the app closes when the iPhone closes. My phone does not recognize it is still playing. The previous version was fine. Please fix.
  36. [R65] 3/5 · US Syncing Issues: The app works fine. I have it on both my iPhone and iPad. I would like to know why it doesn’t automatically sync the two when I record.
  37. [R271] 3/5 · GB Apple Watch to iPhone: How do I get the recording from watch app to my phone ? It has the option but no recoding comes up? Other than that the app works, sounds alright. No issues so far.
  38. [R12] 1/5 · US VERY DISAPPOINTED: This app is very confusing I just paid $24.99 for something that does not work.. please help me
  39. [R40] 1/5 · US What happened to my recordings??: So I’ve had this app for a few years and had quite a few recordings. I just openedthe app to see them and now I have to pay? Where is my stuff?
  40. [R43] 4/5 · US Where did the free app go?: I loved the free part. I use it so infrequently that I can’t justify paying for the Voice Memo Pro. Now my only option is to click get started for a free trial. I had a few small recordings on there but can’t get to them. It may be time to look for a new app.

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