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How to send a voice message on your iPhone

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A screenshot of a voice message being recorded on an iPhone.
Digital Trends

Typing out text messages to people is one of the simplest functions of your iPhone. However, there are times where you need to send a message but can't easily type on your keyboard — whether you're out grocery shopping, cooking, doing dishes, etc.

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Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • An iPhone

Luckily, your iPhone 15 or other iOS device has a tool that lets you record and send audio messages directly from the Messages app. Here’s how it works.

A screenshot of a voice message being recorded on an iPhone.
Digital Trends

How to send a voice message on your iPhone

To send a voice message on your iPhone, simply follow these directions:

Step 1: First, open the Message app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Choose an Existing message from the list or tap the Message icon at the top right to begin a new message. In that case, choose a New contact.

Step 3: Tap the + at the bottom left, then select Audio.

Screenshot showing how to start an audio file in Messages on iPhone.
Digital Trends

Step 4: Using your voice, Record a message.

Step 5: Tap the red square icon to Stop recording.

Screenshot showing how to record and send an audio message in the Messages app on iPhone.
DIgital Trends

Step 6: Tap the Up arrow to send the message, or tap the + icon to add time to the message. Alternatively, tap the X icon to delete the message.

Step 7: You can listen to an audio message prior to sending it. To do so, after tapping the Red square icon to stop recording, choose the icon that shows a Right arrow to listen to the recording.

Screenshot showing how to listen to an audio file through the Messages app on iPhone.
Digital Trends

Step 8: Tap the Pause icon to pause the recording.

How to save an audio message

After you send or listen to an audio message, you have two minutes to save it to your phone. Otherwise, it gets deleted automatically. To save it:

Step 1: Open the Message app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Choose the message that has the audio message.

Screenshot showing how to keep an audio recording in the Messages app on iPhone.
Digital Trends

Step 3: Tap Keep under the audio message to keep it. The audio message will remain in the Messages app.

Just like that, you've become a pro at recording, sending, and saving audio messages! You can send audio messages to other iMessage users and your Android contacts using SMS texting, so feel free to send audio messages to whoever you'd like.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Mobile and A/V Freelancer
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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