How to transcribe lectures on iPad, iPhone and Mac

Record the lecture

• Ask the lecturer for permission; many universities have rules about recording.
• Sit close to the front or near a speaker. Put the iPhone or iPad on the desk, microphone facing the lecturer.
• Use Voice Memos or any recorder app. For online classes, download the recording or make a screen recording on the Mac.

Transcribe it

1. Share the recording to Transcribe.ai (iPhone, iPad) or drag it onto the Mac app.
2. Pick the language of the lecture.
3. Add the subject’s vocabulary, such as names, formulas, Latin terms or brand names.
4. Tap Transcribe. Read it on whichever device you study on; it syncs automatically.

Turn transcripts into study notes

• Export to DOCX and highlight key points in Word, Pages or GoodNotes (via PDF).
• Search a term across the whole semester to find every lecture where it came up.
• Ask Claude, connected through MCP: “Make a one-page summary of the last three lectures with key definitions” or “Write 10 exam questions from this lecture.”

Learning in a foreign language

If you study abroad, a transcript helps a lot: read along while listening again, look up words you missed, and check how terms are spelled. Transcribe+ supports 120 languages and dialects.

Accessibility

For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who have dyslexia or ADHD, a written version of every lecture can make the difference. Text can be enlarged in the app and read with VoiceOver.

Try it on your own recording

Transcribe+ turns audio and video into text on iPhone, iPad and Mac. The first 15 minutes are free, no account needed to start.

Questions and answers