Dictaphone in iOS 15: these are the improvements
Although the Voice Memos app won't get a completely new design like in iOS 12, the app does get features this year that should have been included. Especially if you regularly use the app for interviews, for example, you will probably appreciate the improvements. The new features of the Voice Memos app are also included in macOS Monterey. Here they are:
- Change playback speed
- Skip silences
- Share
- Other
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#1 Change playback speed in the Voice Memos
While other recording apps have known this feature for a long time, we had to do without it in the Voice Memos app until iOS 15. As of iOS 15, it is finally possible to adjust the playback speed of your recording. You do this while listening via a new settings button. Where you can share a recording in iOS 14 is now the new settings button.
You can choose from 7 levels of speed. By default, you're at level 3, so you can mostly play faster and play a little slower. However, most levels won't be as practical for most shots. After a few levels up you can no longer understand an average speaker. With the restore button you can immediately go back to normal speed.
#2 Skip silences in recordings
Do you have a recording of a person who keeps falling still? From iOS 15 you will no longer be bothered by this when listening back. With a simple switch you choose to skip all the silences from your recording. The effect will be applied immediately while listening and your setting will be saved for this recording.
In this recording you can see that the silences are not deleted, but are skipped quickly.
Once you switch to this new function, the recording itself will not be affected. If you export it, all the silences will still be in it. So it is only a feature in the Voice Memos app itself. Skipping silences is useful, but not if you want to transcribe a conversation. Then silences are sometimes nice to keep up with typing.
#3 Share multiple Dictaphone recordings
This last function does not relate to playing back your recordings, but rather to sharing them. In iOS 14 and older, you can only share one recording at a time. As of this fall, that will be a thing of the past. You can select multiple recordings by tapping Edit in the top right and then selecting all the recordings you want to share. Then share them via the share menu at the bottom left.
If you want to share all your recordings quickly, it's faster to use two fingers and swipe over all the recordings. You do that from top to bottom or vice versa. You can also uncheck specific recordings. Then tap the share menu at the bottom left and choose the recipient.
#4 Other minor tweaks
Apple has applied a number of small tweaks. If you want to move a recording to another folder, you can now also do this directly via the action menu. In iOS 15, you'll see a new Move to Folder button there. The action menu can be found at the button with the three dots, where you can also share, change, duplicate and more a recording.
A second minor change is that the Enhance Record button is easier to reach. With this option, the app filters out noise, so that the recording sounds just that little bit better. Previously you had to edit the recording first, but now you will find the Improve recording button directly in the options menu, recognizable by the three controls.
More about iOS 15
iOS 15 is the big update for iPhone and iPod touch. If you want to know whether your iPhone is suitable for iOS 15, you will find the answer in our article. We expect the official iOS 15 release in September/October 2021. Find out what else was announced during the keynote in our WWDC 2021 recap! Or read our very extensive iOS 15 preview.