FROM CLASS TO REVISION
A lecture transcription app.
For notes you can search later.
Turn a lecture recording into a transcript or study notes on iPhone or Android, then keep each course in its own folder.
DETAILED
Illustrative study notes: three causes of the crisis; the key definition; reading for next week’s seminar.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Record first, then decide what you need
With Voice Note Transcriber, you bring a lecture recording into the app and choose what to make from it: Transcribe for the full text, or Summarize for study notes. The app’s recorder records up to 2 hours at a time, which is enough for a typical lecture. You can also record with your phone’s own recorder and import the file afterwards.
It is not a live captioning tool. Processing starts once the recording is in the app. Before you record a class, check your institution’s rules and ask the lecturer when permission is required.
FROM CLASS TO REVISION
How to turn a lecture into study notes
1. Record the lecture or import the file
Sit close to the speaker or the room’s loudspeaker, and keep the phone still. Record in the app, or with your phone’s built-in recorder if you prefer. On iPhone, that’s Voice Memos, and the Voice Memo guide shows how to share a memo to another app. Lecture videos in MP4, MOV, MKV, AVI or WEBM, and audio in M4A, MP3, WAV, AAC, OGG or OPUS can be imported too.
2. Choose a transcript or study notes
Choose Transcribe when you need to search exact wording or check a definition. Choose Summarize and a style for revision: Detailed keeps the explanation, Bullet points gives an outline, and Dates/deadlines pulls out assignment and exam dates mentioned in class. One job gives one output, so run it twice if you want both.
3. Organize by course and review
Put each result in a folder per course, and add tags for topics or weeks. Search finds a term across saved results later. Check technical terms, names and numbers against the recording, and remember that anything shown on slides or the board but not said aloud won’t be in the text.
FROM CLASS TO REVISION
What works well, and what doesn’t
Spoken explanations transcribe best. Visual material and questions from the back of the room are where gaps appear.
- Works well: a lecturer who speaks clearly into a microphone, or a recording from close to the front.
- Needs checking: formulas, specialist terms, names and numbers, which are easy to mishear.
- Missing by design: content that was only on slides or the board. Add it to your notes yourself.
- Harder: questions from students far from the microphone, and group discussion with overlapping voices.
FROM CLASS TO REVISION
Lectures in another language
The spoken language is detected automatically, so there is nothing to set before transcribing. If you study in a language that isn’t your first, Summarize + Translate gives a translated summary of the lecture in an available target language, which helps you check you followed the main points.
A translated summary isn’t a full translated transcript, so use the original transcript for exact definitions. The translation guide explains the difference between the outputs.
FROM CLASS TO REVISION
Good habits for study recordings
A transcript is most useful when you can find things in it weeks later, right before an exam.
- Name each result with the course and date, for example “Biology 101, week 3”.
- Keep one folder per course and use tags for topics you’ll revise together.
- Use only recordings you’re allowed to keep, and don’t share other people’s lectures without permission.
- Processing happens online, so you’ll need a connection to send a recording.
QUESTIONS
Lecture transcription questions
Can I record a whole lecture in the app?
Yes. The in-app recorder records up to 2 hours per recording, which covers most lectures. For a longer session, start a new recording when it stops, or record with your phone’s recorder, such as Voice Memos on iPhone, and import the file within the app’s current size and length limits.
Does it transcribe live during class?
No. The app processes a finished recording. You get the result after you send the file, not as captions during the lecture.
Can it make flashcards or quizzes?
No. It makes transcripts, summaries in several styles, and translations. Use the summary as a base for your own flashcards.
Can I transcribe a recorded online lecture?
Yes, if you have the video or audio file and are allowed to use it. Supported video files include MP4 and MOV. See the supported file formats.
Explore Voice Note Transcriber or read about summary styles for revision.
FROM CLASS TO REVISION
Spend less time replaying lectures.
Get the iPhone or Android app, import your lecture recording, and keep searchable notes for every course.