How to Record a Voice Journal Entry (Plus)
Tomoko, a 62-year-old retired postal worker, is watching her husband's speech change as his ALS progresses. She started using the voice recording feature not just to record herself — but to record him, too. A story he told at dinner. The way he said her name. Things she is terrified of forgetting.
The voice journal feature lets you record spoken entries directly in the app. Your recording is automatically transcribed for searchability and stored alongside your written and photo memories in the Memory Book.
Voice recording is available on the Plus and Pro tiers.
Steps
1. Navigate to Memory Book and tap "Add Memory"
Tap the Memories tab at the bottom of the screen. On the main Memory Book screen, tap + Add Memory to open the memory creation flow.
2. Select the voice recording option
The memory type selection screen shows:
- Photo + story
- Written story only
- Voice recording (Plus)
Tap Voice Recording. If you're on the Free tier, this option shows a brief upgrade prompt — tap Learn about Plus for more information, or Maybe later to continue with another memory type.
If you're on Plus, the recording screen opens immediately.
3. Record your voice entry
The recording screen shows a large microphone button and a timer. Tap the microphone to begin recording.
Speak naturally. You can record a story, a thought, a memory, or anything else. There is no time limit for recordings, though very long recordings (over 30 minutes) will be saved in segments.
While recording:
- Tap Pause to pause and resume without creating a new file
- Tap Stop when you're done
- Tap Re-record to discard the current recording and start over
You can listen back to the recording immediately by tapping Play after stopping.
4. Automatic transcription
After you stop recording, the app transcribes your audio automatically. Transcription typically takes 15–60 seconds depending on the length of the recording and your network connection.
The transcription appears in an editable text field below the recording. You can:
- Read it through and correct any errors (names, specific terms, or words the transcription misheard)
- Leave it as-is if it's accurate enough
- Delete it if you don't want a text version at all (the audio will still be saved)
The transcription is used for search — it allows your voice memories to appear in search results when you look for keywords. It is not shown to anyone else.
5. Add a written note alongside the recording
Below the transcription field, there is a separate Add a note field. This is for a written note you compose yourself — different from the transcription. You might use it to add context the recording doesn't capture, or to write something you couldn't say out loud.
Both the transcription and the written note are optional. The audio itself is always saved regardless.
6. Save the memory
Set the date for the memory (it defaults to today, but you can change it to the date of the event you're recording about), then tap Save.
The memory is saved to your Memory Book with:
- The audio recording
- The transcription (if generated)
- Any written note you added
- The date
- A microphone icon indicating it's a voice memory
It appears in your memory timeline alongside your photo and written memories.
What to Expect
Voice memories appear in your Memory Book with a distinctive microphone icon on the memory card, so you can distinguish them from photo and text memories at a glance.
When searching your Memory Book, voice memories appear in results based on their transcription text. If you recorded a story that mentioned a specific place name or person, searching for that name will surface the memory.
Recording quality depends on your device's microphone and ambient noise. For important recordings — like recording a loved one's voice — find a quiet space and hold your device naturally in front of you.
Audio files are stored securely in your account and do not leave your device unless you have sync enabled (which requires an account on Plus or Pro).
Voice journal entries are a Plus and Pro feature. Free tier users can see the voice entry option but will be prompted to upgrade before recording.
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