You'll find a variety of great voice recorder apps for Android, but Pixel owners have the best in the form of Google Recorder. Its deceptively simple UI hides on-device machine learning, which transcribes voices accurately and differentiates between speakers. We show you how to use Recorder to record, transcribe, and edit speech. If you don't have a Pixel phone but want to try it, the Pixel 6a is an affordable option that has most of the Pixel lineup's exclusive features.
How to record and edit voice notes in Recorder
The first screen you see when opening Recorder is the record screen, which is handy if you need to start recording quickly. It's also where you'll view and edit past recordings.
Opening the Recorder app takes you to the record screen, which is handy if you're scrambling to record something. But this is also where you can view, sort, and edit recordings.
How to record audio in Google Recorder
- Tap the red Record button at the bottom of your screen to start recording.
- Tap the red Pause button to pause your recording.
- Tap Save in the lower-right corner to stop and save your recording.
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Tap the title at the top of your screen to rename your recording.
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While recording, tap the Transcript button to see a live transcription of your recording.
How to detect and label different speakers in Google Recorder
It can be challenging to figure out who's speaking in the audio when you're reading the transcript. Google Recorder can differentiate between speakers and automatically label them in real time. However, this feature may be turned off by default. Here's how to enable it:
- Open Google Recorder.
- Tap your profile icon in the upper-right corner of your screen.
- Tap Recorder settings.
- Scroll down and tap Speaker labels.
Now, Google Recorder attempts to label speakers automatically. If it gets it wrong, you can edit it while recording.
How to edit voice notes in Google Recorder
- Tap one of your recordings from the Recorder homescreen.
- Tap the Scissors button in the upper-right corner of your screen.
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Move the slider to adjust your selection.
- Tap the Transcript button to start editing.
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Tap Save copy in the upper-right corner of your screen to save the transcript.
How to share recordings and transcripts from Recorder
You can export recordings in an M4A audio file or text transcript. The text transcript can be exported into Google Docs, which is handy if you need to edit it further.
- Tap one of your recordings from the Recorder homescreen.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
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Tap Share.
- Tap Audio to create an M4A file of your recording.
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Tap Transcript to create either a Google Doc or TXT file of your transcript.
How to turn your recording into a video
Google Recorder has a basic video creation tool, perfect if you want to embed a recording into a website or upload it to YouTube. While this has few features, it's a tidy way to export your recording as a video with minimal hassle.
- Tap one of your recordings from the Recorder homescreen.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of your screen.
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Tap Share.
- Tap Video clip.
- Tap the Content, Layout, and Theme tabs to change the appearance of your recording.
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Tap Create in the upper-right corner of your screen.
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Recorder saves your video in your Files app.
Recorder is perfect for recording voices
The Recorder app can accurately record presentations, conversations, or quick voice notes. Pixel users should prioritize it over other voice recording apps.
However, you'll want to ensure the app can pick up your voice when you're recording. Grab a pair of our top earbud picks with in-built microphones for the best voice quality.