Convert M4A to Text
M4A is what your iPhone voice memos are saved as. Tape2Type turns those recordings — interviews, ideas, lectures — into searchable text.
Start now →How to convert M4A to text
- 01
Upload your M4A or voice memo file.
- 02
Tape2Type transcribes the audio for you.
- 03
Download or copy your transcript instantly.
Why use Tape2Type to convert M4A to text?
M4A is what the iPhone Voice Memos app and a lot of Android recorders save by default, so it's the format most people actually end up with after recording an interview, a lecture or a quick idea on the move. You don't need to convert it first — Tape2Type takes the M4A straight off your phone or computer.
Record on your phone, AirDrop or email the file to yourself, and drop it on the deck. A few minutes later you've got the whole thing as text you can search, quote and tidy — no more scrubbing back and forth through a recording trying to find the bit you needed.
Related tools
Related reading
FAQs
Can I transcribe an iPhone voice memo directly?+
Yes — Voice Memos exports as M4A, which Tape2Type reads natively. Share the memo to your computer (or open this page on your phone), upload it, and you'll get the text back.
Do I need to convert M4A to MP3 first?+
No. Upload the M4A as-is. Converting first just adds a step and can slightly degrade the audio.
How accurate is the transcription?+
Tape2Type uses state-of-the-art speech-to-text models that typically reach 95%+ accuracy on clear audio. Background noise, heavy accents and crosstalk lower accuracy, as with any transcription tool.
What audio and video formats can I upload?+
MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4, MOV, WEBM and more. Uploaded files are up to 25 MB. For longer videos, paste a YouTube link instead — those work at any length.
How much does it cost?+
There's no subscription. A single transcript is 50p with no account needed. Or create a free account and buy credits to pay less per transcript — 10 for £4 (40p each) or 30 for £9 (30p each). Credits never expire.
What counts as one credit? Is there a length limit?+
One credit = one transcript, start to finish. A YouTube link can be any length. Uploaded files are capped at 25 MB (roughly 1–3 hours of audio). Either way it's a single credit — no metering by the minute. For a long file, the easy route is to upload it to YouTube (even unlisted) and paste the link.
Do I get a summary and chapters too?+
Yes — every transcript comes with an AI summary, key takeaways and timestamped chapters, plus an 'Ask this video' chat to query the content. All included, no extra credit.
How fast is it?+
Fast. YouTube links return in seconds. Uploaded files are typically done in under a couple of minutes for an hour of audio — far quicker than real time.
Do you keep my files?+
Your audio is processed to produce your transcript and then deleted on a short schedule. We never sell your data or train models on your private recordings.
Can I get timestamps or subtitles?+
Yes. Every transcript can be exported as an SRT subtitle file with timestamps, ready to drop into YouTube, a video editor or your own player.
What languages are supported?+
Over 50 languages are supported, including English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch and many more. You don't need to pick one — the language is detected automatically from the audio, and the transcript comes back in the language that was spoken.
Does it label speakers (Speaker 1, Speaker 2)?+
Not yet. Transcripts come back as clean, continuous text rather than split by speaker, so for interviews and meetings you'll see the full conversation without named speaker labels. Speaker separation is on our list — for now, the back-and-forth reads naturally and is easy to format into a Q&A.
What if a transcription fails or comes out poorly?+
If a file fails to process, you aren't charged — you only spend a credit (or pay) at the point you unlock a finished transcript. If a result is unusable because of something on our end, email hello@tape2type.com and we'll sort you out with a refund or credit.
Can I get my transcripts back later?+
Yes — if you create a free account, every transcript you unlock is saved to your dashboard so you can re-open, copy and re-export it any time. One-off 50p unlocks without an account are best downloaded straight away.