What is the best meeting transcription app for iPhone and Android?

The best choice depends on three things: whether the meeting is in person or online, whether you are allowed to record it, and whether the audio may leave your phone. For most people the built-in recorder is enough. A separate app is worth paying for only when you need speaker labels or a shared workspace. For the wider comparison, see our guide to the best dictation apps for iPhone and Android. Yap, which we make, runs on Mac and Windows, so it is not one of the phone options here.

Start with the recorder your phone already has

A built-in recorder is the lowest-risk choice, because you already have it and you can see where the audio goes.

On iPhone, Voice Memos can transcribe a recording

In Voice Memos, tap the speech bubble icon in the bottom left of a recording to generate its transcript ¹. The feature needs an iPhone 12 or later and one of Apple's supported languages. If the transcript option is missing, check both before you assume the feature is broken ².

On a Galaxy phone, Transcript assist depends on the model and the connection

Samsung's Transcript assist is the equivalent feature on Galaxy phones. Samsung says it is on select Galaxy models, and that availability may vary by model and region ³. Transcription can also depend on a connection. Samsung's UAE support page tells you to check your internet connection when Transcript assist is slow or gives errors ⁴. Test it in airplane mode before a meeting you cannot repeat.

On Pixel, Recorder keeps its summaries on the phone

In 2024, Google said that Pixel Recorder's audio summaries use Gemini Nano and keep data processing on the device ⁵. That statement covers summaries, not every transcript, so check the app's settings before you rely on it for sensitive meetings.

Dedicated meeting apps add speaker labels, and bring privacy terms

A dedicated app is worth comparing when you need a transcript that says who spoke. That is the main reason to pay.

The cost is in the terms. A federal class action filed in August 2025 alleges that Otter.ai's Otter Notebook service, by default, does not ask meeting attendees for permission to record ⁶. That is an allegation in a lawsuit, not a finding. It is still the kind of default to check in any app before you join a call. Look for a setting that asks attendees first, and read whether the app uses recordings to train its own models.

Google Meet is another route for a meeting you host. Meet transcription is on by default for the organization, but someone in the meeting must start it for each meeting ⁷.

Recording is a legal question before it is a technical one

Consent rules decide whether you may record a meeting at all, and they vary by place. In California, Penal Code 632 punishes a person who intentionally records a confidential communication without the consent of all parties ⁸. The rule covers confidential communications, so a recording of one made without everyone's consent can break the law, even if you were in the room. Our glossary entry on all-party consent explains the rule in more detail.

If you are unsure, tell everyone at the start that the meeting is being recorded, and ask anyone who objects to say so. Stop the recording if anyone does. This does not replace legal advice, but it helps avoid a common mistake.

For meetings with patient or client information, the answer may be no app at all, unless the vendor has agreed to protect that information. Read your own organization's rules before you record anything sensitive. For that case, see whether a medical dictation app works on iPhone and Android.

What to do before your next meeting

1. Check that everyone in the meeting has agreed to be recorded, and where you are.
2. Test the recorder on your phone in the room or on the call you will use.
3. Turn on airplane mode and record a sample, to see whether the transcript still appears.
4. If you need speaker labels, check the consent prompt and privacy setting of a dedicated app before the meeting, not during it.
5. Read the transcript after the meeting, and correct names and numbers before you share it.

For related questions, see how to transcribe a meeting on Mac, free meeting transcription, meeting transcription without a bot and whether Google Meet can transcribe for free. For the Samsung steps, see how to transcribe a recording on Samsung. For the wider topic, see our overview of dictation on phones and tablets.