Where is recorded audio saved in phone?

Why Should You Know Where Your Recordings Are Saved?

Mobile phones give us the ability to easily record audio – whether it’s phone calls, voice memos, or ambient sounds. But where exactly do those recordings get stored? Knowing where your audio files are kept can be very useful for finding, managing, and backing up recordings.

In this article, we’ll look at the default storage locations for recordings on Android and iPhone. We’ll cover how to find your files using a file explorer, searching from the recorder app, and backing them up. We’ll also touch on sharing and deleting recordings when you no longer need them.

Being able to easily locate recordings allows you to access important information later. You can also save storage space by removing unneeded files. Overall, understanding where your phone saves audio gives you more control over these useful recordings.

Default Storage Locations

Recordings made on Android and iOS devices are typically saved to internal storage by default. The specific folder can vary between device manufacturers and OS versions, but some common locations include:

On Android devices:

• A “Recordings” or “Sound Recorder” folder
• Within the “Music” or “Audio” folders
• Directly in internal storage

On iPhones and iPads:

• An “Audio Recorder” or “Voice Memos” folder within internal storage
• The “Music” folder

For example, Samsung Galaxy phones save recordings to a dedicated “Voice Recorder” folder, while Google Pixel phones use the generic “Recordings” folder name. iPhones store audio recorder files under “Voice Memos.”

Knowing the default locations can make it easier to navigate and find your recordings. However, the default folder may not always be the most accessible or organized storage option.

Finding Recordings on Android

Recordings made on Android devices are typically stored automatically in the device’s internal storage. The exact folder location can vary between Android versions and device manufacturers, but recordings are usually saved in a folder like “My Files” or “Phone Storage”.

To locate recordings through your device’s File Manager app:

1. Open the File Manager app on your device.
2. Navigate to the folder location for your recordings. Common locations include:
   • Android > media > com.android.soundrecorder
   • Internal Storage > Sounds
   • Phone Storage > Recorder
3. Open the folder for your recording app, like Sound Recorder. Your recordings will be listed as .mp3 or .wav files.
4. Tap on any file to preview the recording.

Using your device’s File Manager allows you to browse all recordings saved on your device and manage the files. You can also access recordings through the recorder app itself in the app’s file or history section.

Finding Recordings on iPhone

On iPhones running iOS 12 and newer, recorded audio is saved under the Voice Memos app. You can find and access your recordings through the Voice Memos app, the Files app, or by searching on your iPhone.

To find recordings through the Files app:

1. Open the Files app.
2. Navigate to the On My iPhone section.
3. Tap Browse.
4. Open Voice Memos under Media.

All your audio recordings made in the Voice Memos app will be located there. Recordings are organized by date folders named Recordings 1, Recordings 2, etc. Tap on the date folder to view individual recordings from that date. You can listen, share, organize, and delete recordings from within the Files app.

To search for recordings from your iPhone homepage:

1. Swipe down to open the search field.
2. Enter relevant search terms like “voice memo” or part of a recording name.
3. Tap on a result to open the recording in the Voice Memos app.

Using a File Explorer App

You can use an file explorer app to easily locate and manage your recordings. Here are some top file explorer apps to consider installing:

Solid Explorer is an excellent premium file manager app that offers dual panes, cloud storage integration, archive extraction, root access, and more features to find your recordings. It is available for Android, with a 14-day free trial.

ASTRO File Manager is a popular free file explorer for Android that makes it easy to browse, copy, move, and manage files and folders across internal and external storage. It lets you preview recordings before opening them in another app.

For iPhones, Documents by Readdle is an excellent file manager that integrates with cloud services and offers zip, unzip, transfer, preview, and organization tools to access your recordings. There is a free version with in-app purchases to unlock additional features.

Using one of these powerful file explorer apps can make finding and organizing recordings much easier on both Android and iOS devices.

Searching from the Recorder App

Many recorder apps include a section or tab to easily access past recordings made with that app. For example, the Voice Recorder app on Android has a section called Recordings that shows all recordings made with that app.

On an iPhone, the Voice Memos app has a tab called Library that lets you view recordings and access deleted recordings for up to 30 days. You can search recordings by title or date. The app also has an option to recover deleted recordings (Source: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/edit-or-delete-a-recording-iphc9bdaee83/ios).

So when searching for a past recording, first open the recorder app you used to make the recording. Look for a section like “Recordings” or “Library” where past recordings are stored. You can browse or search recordings from there.

If you still can’t find the recording in the app, try searching your phone’s main storage using the phone’s built-in search or a file explorer app (covered next).

Backing Up Recordings

It’s important to back up your audio recordings so you don’t lose them if your phone is lost, damaged, or fails. There are a few options for backing up recordings:

Cloud Storage

One option is to back up recordings to cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or iCloud. Pros of cloud storage include accessibility from different devices, version history, and automatic syncing. Cons are potential monthly storage fees, privacy, and reliance on internet connectivity. Some Android devices have Google Drive baked in to easily back up recordings. iPhones can directly back up to iCloud storage.

Computer

You can manually transfer recordings from your phone to your computer through a USB connection or wireless transfer. Pros are local storage and full control. Cons are the manual process and risk of hardware failure or damage. Ensure your computer itself has a backup plan as well.

External Drive

Portable external hard drives provide expanded storage and backup capabilities. Pros are affordability, capacity, and portability. Cons are the possibility of drive failure and the need to remember to plug it in to update the backup.

Overall, utilizing both cloud and local storage provides redundancy. But any backup is better than none when it comes to safeguarding important recordings. Be sure to backup periodically instead of just once.

Sharing Recordings

The most straightforward technique for sharing an audio recording from your phone is via your device’s built-in messaging or email apps.

On an iPhone, open the Voice Memos app and tap the recording you want to share. Tap the More Actions button and choose Share. You can then select a sharing option like Messages, Mail, or social media apps and choose a contact or recipient (1).

On Android devices, navigate to the recording in the sound recorder app or file system. Tap the share button or menu option and you’ll see all compatible sharing apps where you can select a recipient.

Alternatively, third-party cloud storage platforms like Google Drive and Dropbox simplify sharing recordings by uploading them for safekeeping and easy access. After uploading a recording, you can generate a shareable link to send via email or chat (2).

Messaging apps like WhatsApp and iMessage allow sending shorter audio clips directly to contacts. But for longer recordings, email and cloud storage is preferred to avoid capping file sizes.

Deleting Old Recordings

As you accumulate more and more audio recordings on your phone, you may eventually run low on storage space. When this happens, you’ll want to delete old recordings you no longer need to free up room for new ones.

On an iPhone, open the Voice Memos app and tap Edit. Select the recordings you want to delete by tapping them, then tap the trash icon in the bottom left. An alert will ask if you really want to delete the recordings. Tap “Delete” to confirm and free up space (1).

On an Android phone, open the Voice Recorder app that was used to record the audio clips. Tap the three-dot menu icon and choose “Deleted files” to view your deleted recordings. Select the clips you want to permanently erase, then confirm the deletion. If you have multiple recording apps, check each one for deleted files using this method.

When deciding which recordings to delete, carefully review each one first before erasing it forever. While you can recover recently deleted files, at some point the operating system will permanently overwrite the storage space they occupied. So avoid mass deleting recordings in bulk, and handle each on a case-by-case basis in the event you still need access.

Conclusion

In summary, where your phone saves audio recordings depends on whether you have an Android or iPhone device. By default, Android phones store recordings in internal storage folders like Music or Downloads. iPhones store voice memos and other recordings in the Voice Memos app. You can also use phone explorer apps to locate recordings, or find them within recorder apps.

Knowing where your phone saves recordings is useful for easily accessing them later for sharing or deleting. It also helps ensure you don’t lose important recordings if you replace your phone. Regularly backing them up to cloud storage or a computer is recommended. With a basic understanding of default recording storage locations on smartphones, you’ll spend less time hunting for your audio files.