When you have a brilliant idea while driving or walking, typing a note on your phone is dangerous or inconvenient. While most smartphone operating systems have built-in voice recorder apps, they simply output a raw audio file that you have to manually listen to later. Google Keep solves this problem by offering a highly intelligent voice memo feature that not only records your audio but instantly transcribes your speech into perfectly readable, searchable text.
How to Record and Transcribe a Voice Memo
The audio transcription feature relies heavily on the microphone hardware on your mobile device, so it is primarily designed to be used on the Google Keep mobile app (available on both Android and iOS), rather than the desktop website.
- Open the Google Keep app on your smartphone or tablet.
- Look at the very bottom of the screen, in the “Take a note…” bar.
- Tap the Microphone icon. (If this is your first time using the feature, your phone will pop up a security warning asking for permission to access your microphone. You must tap “Allow”).
- A new screen will appear featuring a pulsing microphone animation, indicating that Google Keep is actively listening.
- Speak clearly into your phone. As you talk, you will see your words magically appear as text on the screen in real-time.
- When you are finished speaking, simply stop talking for about three seconds. Google Keep will detect the silence and automatically stop the recording.
How the Note is Formatted
Once the recording stops, Google Keep generates a brand-new note containing two distinct elements.
- The Text: The main body of the note contains the fully transcribed text of everything you said. You can instantly click into this text to edit typos, add a title, or copy the paragraph to paste it into a Google Doc. Because it is standard text, it is completely searchable; if you search your Keep database for a specific word you spoke, this note will instantly appear.
- The Audio File: Directly below the text, you will see a small audio player widget containing the original, raw voice recording. This is incredibly useful if the transcription software misunderstood a complex word or a thick accent; you can press the play button to listen back to your original voice and verify what you actually said.
Deleting the Audio File
If you only wanted the text transcription and you want to save storage space on your Google account by deleting the heavy audio file, the process is simple.
- Open the note containing the recording.
- Look at the audio player widget at the bottom of the note.
- Tap the small Trash Can icon located on the right side of the audio player.
The audio file will be permanently deleted, but the transcribed text you generated will remain perfectly intact in the body of the note.