Fact · Dictation on Mac
Apple says that if you open a recording made in macOS 14 or earlier, or on a device that does not support transcription, Voice Memos transcribes it automatically when it contains recorded speech.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“If you open a recording made in macOS 14 or earlier, or a recording made on a device that doesn’t support transcription, Voice Memos transcribes the recording automatically if it includes recorded speech.”
View a Voice Memos transcription on Mac, Apple, Apple Support, Voice Memos User Guide, 2026, Note under View a Voice Memos transcription on Mac.
Open the original- What it measures
- Apple's Voice Memos User Guide, read on 2026-10-16. The sentence applies to recordings opened on the Mac, so a recording from an older iPhone or Mac may get a transcript without any extra step.
- What it does not show
- Apple does not say how long the automatic transcription takes or which devices count as unsupported. Test one older recording before you rely on this for a batch of files.