How to transcribe a meeting recording on iPhone and Mac
Nobody wants to take notes and talk at the same time. Record the meeting, transcribe it afterwards, and get searchable minutes with who said what and when.
Step 1: record the meeting
Pick the source you already use. Transcribe+ works with any audio or video file, so there is no bot to invite and nothing to install for the other participants.
- In person: record with the iPhone Voice Memos app and put the phone in the middle of the table.
- Zoom: use Record → Record on this computer. Zoom saves an MP4 and an M4A file when the meeting ends.
- Microsoft Teams: start recording in the meeting, then download the MP4 from OneDrive or SharePoint.
- Google Meet: the recording lands in Google Drive as an MP4; open it in the Drive app and share it.
- Any call on a Mac: QuickTime Player → File → New Audio Recording, or a screen recording with sound.
Always let participants know the meeting is being recorded. In many countries it is required by law.
Step 2: transcribe it
- On iPhone or iPad, share the file to Transcribe.ai from Files, Drive, Voice Memos or Mail. On a Mac, drag and drop the MP4 or M4A onto the app.
- Choose the meeting language. Add company names, product names and acronyms to the vocabulary for better accuracy.
- Tap Transcribe. The transcript comes back with punctuation, speaker labels and timestamps.
- Rename “Speaker 1” and “Speaker 2” to real names so the transcript reads like minutes.
Step 3: turn the transcript into minutes
A raw transcript is the source of truth; minutes are what people read. You have two options:
- Export the transcript to PDF or DOCX and highlight decisions yourself.
- Ask Claude. Connect Transcribe+ to Claude through MCP and ask: “Write the minutes of today’s product sync with decisions, action items and owners.” Claude reads the transcript and cites timestamps such as
[12:41]so you can verify every point. See how to connect Claude.
Why not use the built-in Zoom or Teams transcript?
Built-in transcripts are tied to one platform, often need a paid business plan, and stay in that platform. With Transcribe+ every meeting, from Zoom, Teams, Meet, a phone call or the coffee machine, ends up in one searchable library on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, in 120 languages, and you can export it in the format you need.
Tips for better meeting transcripts
- Use the local recording rather than a recording of your speakers; it is much cleaner.
- Ask people not to talk over each other during decisions.
- For a mixed-language meeting, choose the language that is spoken most.
- Search across all meetings later: “budget”, “deadline”, a client name. On iPhone and Mac transcripts also appear in Spotlight.
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.
