Google Recorder App: What It Does and Options for iPhone and Samsung

The Google Recorder app, often searched as Google Voice Recorder, is Google's free voice recorder that writes a live transcript as you talk, and it only runs on Google's own Pixel phones and the Pixel Tablet. On an iPhone, the closest match is Apple's Voice Memos. On a Samsung Galaxy, it's Samsung's Voice Recorder with Transcript assist. If you want the same app on every phone, with a summary on every recording, ParrotNotes runs on iPhone and Android.

Dana manages three rental buildings and walks each one every Friday.

Her colleague on a Pixel talks into Google Recorder as he goes, and by the time he's back at the car the transcript is searchable. Dana has a Galaxy S23. She searches the Play Store for "Google Recorder," and it isn't there for her phone. (Dana is an illustration, not a real customer.)

That's the most common Google Recorder question, and this guide answers it. You'll see what Recorder does, which Pixel gets which feature, why it isn't on your iPhone or Samsung, and what to use instead. Every Google, Apple and Samsung fact below comes from their own support pages, checked on November 7, 2026.

What is the Google Recorder app?

Google Recorder (on the phone it's just called Recorder) is a voice recording app that transcribes as it records. Google's help page on creating a recording says it works on "Pixel 3 and later phones and Pixel Tablet," keeps recording "even if the screen goes to sleep," and can record "up to 18 hours on a single recording."

The transcript is made on the phone itself. Google's words: "Recorder sends audio to an on-device Google service or app to transcribe it." You can search a recording for a word and jump to the moment it was said, cut out parts of the audio, and share the result as a link, a text file, a video clip, or a Google Doc.

Recordings stay on the phone unless you switch on Back up & sync in Recorder settings. With backup on, your recordings are linked to your Google Account and you can open them in a browser at recorder.google.com, according to Google's page on backing up recordings.

Which Pixel gets which Google Recorder feature

Not every Pixel gets every feature. Here's the split, from Google's pages on transcriptions and summaries and speaker labels:

So a Pixel 5 owner gets the live transcript but no summaries, and anyone outside US English gets no speaker labels. Worth knowing before you buy a Pixel just for Recorder.

Can you get Google Recorder on iPhone, Samsung or other Android phones?

No. Google Recorder for Android exists only on Pixel phones. Google's help pages list Recorder for Pixel phones and the Pixel Tablet only, and there's no Recorder app from Google for iPhone. On a Samsung or another Android phone, Recorder isn't offered for your device either.

Two workarounds come up in older articles. Neither is a real answer:

• recorder.google.com. The website plays and searches recordings that a Pixel has already backed up. It doesn't record on your phone, so on an iPhone or a Galaxy it only helps if someone shares a Pixel recording with you.
• Sideloaded APK files. Tech sites in 2019 and 2020 showed how to install modified copies of Recorder on non-Pixel phones. These are unofficial builds from outside the Play Store, they don't get Google's updates, and you're trusting an unknown file with your microphone. We'd skip them.

The better route is the app your phone already has, or an app built for every phone. Both are below.

Want Recorder-style transcripts on any phone? Get ParrotNotes free on iPhone or Android: record, get the transcript, and get a summary on every recording.

Google Recorder vs the iPhone and Samsung options

This is the map most readers are after: each thing Recorder does, and what your phone does instead. Facts are from Google's, Apple's and Samsung's pages as of November 7, 2026.

Read across a row and the pattern is clear. For a plain transcript, the recorder that came with your phone does the job for free. The gap shows up after the transcript: summaries depend on your model, and none of the built-in apps lists action items or a follow-up email.

The closest Google Recorder alternative on iPhone

On an iPhone, start with Voice Memos. Apple's page on viewing a Voice Memos transcription says transcription works on iPhone 12 or later, in English (all variants), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese, and isn't available in every country or region.

To see it, open a recording, tap the More button, and choose View Transcript (or Copy Transcript to paste it into an email). You can select part of the text and copy it.

Where it falls short next to Recorder: no speaker labels, and a summary only through Apple Intelligence on the iPhones that support it. Our comparison of Apple Voice Memos transcription covers when that's enough, and the Voice Memos feature tour covers the rest of the app.

The closest Google Recorder alternative on Samsung and other Android phones

On a Galaxy, the match is Samsung's own Voice Recorder, with transcription under the name Transcript assist. Samsung's Voice Recorder with Galaxy AI page says it runs on select phones and tablets with Android 14 and One UI 6.1 or higher, and that Galaxy AI's basic features are free.

The steps from that page:

1. Record in Voice Recorder and save the recording.
2. Select it, tap the Transcript assist icon (four stars), then Transcribe.
3. Tap the icon again for Summarize, or Translate to pick another language.

Samsung lists 16 transcription languages, which is more than Voice Memos. Our Samsung Voice Recorder guide walks through sharing, organizing, and the settings that stop recordings cutting out when the screen turns off.

On other Android phones (Motorola, OnePlus, Xiaomi and so on), the built-in recorder is different on each maker and many don't transcribe at all. Our guide to recording audio on Android covers the main makers. If yours has no transcript, you'll want an app. Need to record calls rather than in-person audio? See how to record a phone call on Android.

When an app does the job better than Google Recorder

Marcus sells HVAC systems to property managers and carries a Pixel. Recorder gives him a clean transcript of a 40-minute site walk. What he needs at 5 PM is the three promises he made and an email to the building manager, and on his Pixel 7 Recorder has no summary at all.

He reads 5,000 words to find them. (Marcus is an illustration.)

That's the job ParrotNotes is built for, and it's the same app on an iPhone, a Pixel and a Galaxy. Here's what the pricing page lists today:

• Free plan: 100 minutes of recording a month (up to 30 minutes a recording), a summary on every recording, 5 AI-powered recordings a month with action items and key points, and unlimited written notes. No credit card.
• Pro: $19.99 a month ($14.99 billed yearly) for 3,000 minutes a month and up to 3 hours a recording, every AI feature on every recording (action items, follow-up email drafts, AI chat), speaker identification, and transcription in 99+ languages with translation.

A few things ParrotNotes does that Recorder doesn't:

• Same app on every phone. A team with Pixels, iPhones and Galaxy phones records and shares notes the same way.
• Summary on any model. You don't need a Pixel 8, an Apple Intelligence iPhone, or a Samsung account to get one.
• More languages. Pro handles 99+ languages and conversations that switch languages mid-sentence, where Recorder transcribes the most-spoken one.
• Keep your old recordings. Already have recordings in Voice Memos or Samsung Voice Recorder? Share them into ParrotNotes (3 imports a month on the free plan). Our guide on how to transcribe a voice memo has the share steps for each phone.

Still comparing recorder apps? Our guide to the best voice recorder apps with transcription lines up the other options, and the best free transcription apps list covers free plans.

Before you record someone

Recorder, Voice Memos, Samsung Voice Recorder and ParrotNotes all record whatever the microphone hears, including other people. In the US, some states let you record a conversation you're part of, while others need everyone to agree. Our guide to one-party consent states lists each state's rule.

Outside the US, check your country's law and your employer's policy. The simplest habit: ask at the start, and let the yes be on the recording. This isn't legal advice.

Conclusion

The short version on the Google Recorder app:

• Recorder is Pixel-only. Google lists it for Pixel 3 and later and the Pixel Tablet; there's no iPhone or Samsung version.
• Features depend on the Pixel. Summaries need a Pixel 8 or later; speaker labels need a Pixel 6 or later and US English.
• On iPhone, use Voice Memos (iPhone 12 or later, 10 languages) for a free transcript.
• On a Galaxy, use Voice Recorder with Transcript assist (One UI 6.1 or later, 16 languages).
• For the same app on every phone, with a summary on every recording and action items, use ParrotNotes.

Dana, from the start of this guide, didn't need a Pixel. Her Galaxy's Voice Recorder already transcribes; she needed to know where to tap. If you also want the summary and the to-do list, get ParrotNotes free and try it on your next recording.