Many of us need the ability to record sound 'here and now' from time to time. For this reason, iPhone and iPad have been preinstalled with such a tool for many years; however, it has many alternatives. As of Apple Watch, the Voice Recorder app only appeared in watchOS 6, but there have been many third-party quality apps before.
Now a quick search in App Store finds dozens of recording apps for Apple Watch. However, only a few of them are really worth your attention.
Among the many products that are full of bugs, limitations, and flaws, the following are good suggestions with different requirements for your budget.
Simple Recorder
Simple Recorder forms one product line along with two other more advanced recording applications. All three are developed by the same development team. Unlike the two, Simple Recorder is completely free and at the same time has all the functionality you need.
First of all, it means the absence of artificial restrictions, as well as advertising and other garbage on the screen. And this is quite generous when it is completely free.
The application interface is intuitive: the switch at the top determines the device from which the recording is made (remote iPhone or the clock itself). After its completion, the finished file can also be listened to directly on the device or instantly transferred to iPhone. If you are worried that the recording may end if you shake your wrist, we hasten to rejoice: like most modern applications, Simple Recorder keeps the screen on until you decide to stop the application.
Whichever source you make entries, Apple Watch or iPhone, the last device maintains a list of them, from where you can delete, edit and rename the files you want.
- Supported devices: iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch
- Extension: no
- Features: storage and playback of files on Apple Watch
- Price: no
Voice Notes
The next application in the collection, Voice Notes, offers the same functionality for Apple Watch, but takes the version for iPhone to a whole new level.
After installing the application, you can purchase its full version, which by and large differs from the free one only in the absence of advertising (which is not much). Almost all other features are available immediately after launching on iPhone: among them integration with iCloud, setting tags, protecting entries with a password, and even viewing the collection as a calendar.
Now back to the topic of the review, Apple Watch. The start screen of the application contains three simple elements: an indicator of free space on the device, buttons for starting a new recording and one more for viewing and playing old ones. All received files are stored directly on the watch, from where they can be transferred to iPhone for more cunning operations.
As is the case with Simple Recorder, the recording duration is unlimited: you can only be constrained by the disk space. Shaking the clock does not stop recording.
- Supported devices: iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch
- Extension: no
- Features: storage and playback of files on Apple Watch, integration with iCloud, tags, access restriction via Touch ID
- Price: no (in-app purchases)
Audi o Memos
Audi o Memos is available through App Store for iPhone and Apple Watch in several color options, of which yellow is the cheapest – only $ 0.99 .
The developer's commercialization model is quite interesting: in-app extensions like search bar, tags, and speed settings are available for purchase, each for $ 0.99. Nevertheless, the standard version of the application meets the basic requirements. In addition to integration with iCloud and Touch ID, special attention is drawn to the extension for the dial. While this doesn't seem like a big deal, many recording applications don't offer this feature at all.
At the same time Audi o Memos lags somewhat behind in other aspects. So, it does not allow you to store records directly on the watch. Although a list of them is available, the files themselves are always transferred to your iPhone. They are always reproduced there. Thus, you will not be able to leave iPhone at home and turn on the recordings right on your watch. This is a very short-sighted oversight.
- Supported devices: iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch
- Extension: yes
- Features: integration with iCloud, access restriction via Touch ID, automatic file transfer, sound quality settings
- Price: $ 0.99 (+ In-App Purchases)
Just Press Record
You can't get around Just Press Record by talking about recording media for iOS. This functional and advanced program costs much more than its counterparts. What is the reason for this difference?
In short, the Open Planet Software team has managed to create an application that combines simplicity, convenience and originality with extreme reliability and directness. Immediately after starting, Just Press Record asks the user where to save the files – to disk or to iCloud Drive.
In addition, the version for Apple Watch not only transfers sound files to iPhone, but also saves copies of them on the watch, which can be listened to on a special tab. This is definitely the most elegant solution, killing two birds with one stone. Other applications require your manual intervention in one way or another. Like Audi o Memos, JPR comes with a handy dial extension.
But the best part is that Just Press Record allows you to automatically recognize speech in your recordings; it is both modern and quite useful. As with competing apps, recordings are unlimited in time and cannot be stopped by accidental movement of the hand.
If you're willing to shell out five dollars for a recording app, Just Press Record won't disappoint you.
- Supported devices: iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch
- Extension: yes
- Features: storage and playback of files on Apple Watch, integration with iCloud, speech recognition
- Price: $ 4.99
silver medal
SimpleMic
SimpleMic is very consistent in its simplicity. To put it simply, the interface in the version for iPhone is extremely compact and gesture-driven, while the version for Apple Watch literally consists of one big red button. Regardless, the app may well suit your needs if you just want to periodically record short moments from your watch. Thanks to its elegant design, SimpleMic could be one of the winners, but it is let down by the silly and artificial limit on the recording length – up to five minutes.
- Price: no
Let's draw the line
That's all. After a quick glance at the recording apps from App Store, the above ones turned out to be the best.
Of course, we might have missed something by accident, so feel free to share your favorite sound recording app in the comments below!