Whisper Notes delivers offline speech-to-text on your iPhone or Mac. Record your voice, get text transcripts—all processed locally. This guide covers how it works, practical use cases, and why privacy matters.
Professional transcription on your iPhone or Mac
How It Works
Whisper Notes uses OpenAI's Whisper AI model directly on your device. Tap to record, stop when done. The app processes audio locally and returns text—no server involved.
This matters for privacy. Your voice stays on your device. No uploads, no data breaches, no corporate access. Good for sensitive conversations, work meetings, or just not wanting your voice analyzed by third parties.
Import and transcribe audio files locally
Lock Screen Widgets
Add the widget to your lock screen. Tap it to start recording without unlocking your phone. Useful for quick voice memos or capturing thoughts on the go.
Live Activity shows recording duration while you talk. Simple, fast access when you need it.
Quick access from your lock screen
Bulk Export
Long-press any transcription to enter selection mode. Pick multiple recordings, then export them all at once—either as text or with the original audio files. Saves time when working with lots of recordings.
Export to wherever you need: email, cloud storage, notes app. Share when you're ready.
Export multiple transcriptions at once
Custom Vocabulary
The app sometimes struggles with technical terms or proper nouns. Go to Settings → add them to "Initial Prompts." Recognition gets way better.
Example: If you often say "Gemini-2.5-Pro" or industry jargon, add those terms. The AI learns to transcribe them correctly instead of guessing.
Add technical terms for better recognition
Long Recordings with Timestamps
Whisper Notes breaks long recordings into paragraphs automatically. Makes hour-long meetings or lectures easier to read. Also adds timestamps if you enable them.
Timestamps help when you need to reference specific moments. Export the text with timestamps included—perfect for meetings, interviews, or any audio-to-text offline work where timing matters.
Professional formatting for long transcriptions with precise timestamps
Import Audio Files
Already have recordings? Import them. Whisper Notes handles MP3, M4A, WAV, and most common formats. The app processes files the same way it handles live recordings—everything stays local.
Perfect for transcribing meeting recordings, interviews, or lectures you recorded elsewhere. Same quality as live recording. The app doesn't care whether audio comes from the mic or a file.
Why Offline Matters
Most transcription services send your voice to their servers. Whisper Notes doesn't. No data leaves your device—period.
No risk of data breaches. No company analyzing your conversations. No government subpoenas for your recordings. Everything stays local—your voice processes on your device, never touching the internet.
100+ Languages
Whisper Notes detects language automatically. Speak English, Chinese, Arabic, Spanish, Japanese—whatever. The app figures it out and processes accordingly.
Quality is consistent across languages. Perfect for international work, language learning, or multilingual households. The app handles transcription in your language, not just English.
Who Uses It
Students record lectures. Journalists transcribe interviews. Business people turn meetings into text. Whisper Notes works for all of them—the process is simple: record, process, done.
Features covered above—bulk export, timestamps, custom prompts, file import—handle most transcription needs. The engine runs the same whether you're doing quick voice memos or transcribing hour-long recordings.
Download for iOS / macOS