Convert M4A to Text
Every iPhone Voice Memo is an M4A file. AirDrop or upload it to ScribeToAny and that ten-minute idea you recorded on a walk becomes editable text you can actually use — no format conversion, no apps to install.
- AI transcription
- 98 Languages
- Encrypted; we never train AI on your files
Start with your recording
Drop an audio or video file here, or click to choose.
What you get: a real transcript
Unedited output from a 64-second interview with two speakers (synthetic voices), transcribed with speaker detection on. Only the first lines are shown.
SPEAKER_00 (0:00) Welcome back to Small Shop Stories. SPEAKER_00 (0:02) Today I'm talking to Maya, who runs a tiny bakery on the SPEAKER_00 (0:05) corner of Mill Street. SPEAKER_01 (0:07) Thanks for having me. SPEAKER_01 (0:08) It's really small, just two ovens and a counter. SPEAKER_00 (0:12) So how does a normal day start for you?
1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,680 [SPEAKER_00] Welcome back to Small Shop Stories. 2 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,320 [SPEAKER_00] Today I'm talking to Maya, who runs a tiny bakery on the 3 00:00:05,320 --> 00:00:06,320 [SPEAKER_00] corner of Mill Street.
Checked against the script, 4 of 189 words differed — a 2.1% word error rate, counting "80" written for "eighty" as an error — and all 14 speaker turns were labelled correctly. This was clean speech; noisy recordings and people talking over each other score lower. See the full transcript and how it was scored
How it works
- 1
Upload
Drop in an audio or video file, or paste a link. All common formats are accepted.
- 2
Transcribe
AI transcribes with timestamps and optional speaker labels, usually in minutes.
- 3
Export
Edit segments online, then export TXT, SRT, VTT, TSV, CSV, JSON, PDF or DOCX.
Why ScribeToAny
- Apple Voice Memos (.m4a) from iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Mac upload as they are — no conversion needed.
- AAC and Apple Lossless (ALAC) M4A files are both accepted.
- Convenient for classroom lectures, voice diaries, and field interviews shared directly from iOS AirDrop or iCloud Drive.
- Turn on speaker detection for interviews and meetings: each voice gets its own label, and every timestamp replays that moment of the recording.
- Export as TXT, DOCX or PDF to read and edit, or as SRT and VTT subtitles if the memo becomes a voice-over.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get Voice Memos off my iPhone?
In the Voice Memos app, tap Share → AirDrop (to a Mac) or save to Files, then upload the .m4a here from your browser.
Are AAC and M4A the same thing?
M4A is the container and AAC is the codec inside it. We accept both extensions, so either uploads fine.
Can it transcribe long dictations?
Yes — free accounts handle files up to 30 minutes, and paid plans go up to 6 hours per file.
Can I record in the browser instead of exporting a Voice Memo?
Yes. In your workspace, Record audio captures from your microphone and sends the recording straight to transcription with the same options — handy for dictating a quick note on a laptop. For recordings already on your iPhone, sharing the .m4a is still the quickest route.
Does it work with Apple Lossless (ALAC) M4A files?
Yes. An .m4a can hold AAC or Apple Lossless audio, and both upload the same way. Lossless doesn't improve accuracy, because the audio is converted to 16 kHz mono before transcription — so there's no need to keep the larger file just for this.
How do I get a Voice Memo off my Mac?
If Voice Memos sync through iCloud, your iPhone recordings also appear in the Voice Memos app on your Mac. Drag a recording from the list to your desktop to get the .m4a file, then upload it here.
What else records M4A files?
Zoom saves an audio-only .m4a next to the video when you record a meeting to your computer, Samsung's Voice Recorder saves .m4a by default, and GarageBand exports AAC audio as .m4a. They all upload the same way as a Voice Memo.
Is my recording kept after it's transcribed?
No. The uploaded file is deleted once transcription finishes; the transcript stays in your account until you delete it. Uploads are encrypted, and we never train AI on your files.