AI TranscribeChinese transcription on iPhone: audio to text
You have a Chinese recording on your iPhone — a voice note, a meeting, an interview, a lecture — and you need it as text.
Short answer: AI Transcribe transcribes Chinese directly on iPhone: record in the app or import an audio/video file up to 3 hours, and the Chinese transcript appears with timestamps. Language detection is automatic, so mixed-language recordings don’t need any setup. Supported variants include Mandarin Chinese.
Chinese transcription support at a glance
| Chinese support | |
|---|---|
| AI Transcribe | Yes — one of 32 supported languages, auto-detected |
| Speaker labels | No (transcription and timestamps still work) |
| Apple Voice Memos built-in transcript | Yes (iOS 18+, iPhone 12 or later, new recordings only) |
| Translate the transcript afterwards | Yes — into 46 target languages |
Note: speaker labels are currently unavailable for Chinese; the transcript itself, timestamps, summaries and all AI tools work normally.
How to transcribe Chinese audio on iPhone
- Open AI Transcribe and record live, or tap Import to pick an audio or video file (any common format — m4a, mp3, wav, opus, mp4).
- Leave the language on Auto Detect (or select Chinese explicitly).
- The transcript is generated in minutes, with timestamps.
- From the transcript: Summarize, extract to-dos, or Translate — for example, transcribe in Chinese and read the summary in English.
What about Apple’s built-in transcription?
Apple’s Voice Memos can transcribe new Chinese recordings on an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18+. It has no summaries, no file import and no export tools — for a quick memo it may be enough, and for anything more a transcription app takes over.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to set the language before recording? No — automatic language detection recognizes Chinese on its own. Selecting it manually is optional.
Can I translate the Chinese transcript? Yes. The built-in Translate tool converts the transcript into any of 46 languages, right after transcription.
How accurate is Chinese transcription? With clear audio, modern speech models are near-human for Chinese. Background noise and heavy crosstalk are the main accuracy killers, in any language.
What does it cost? Free to download and try; the Pro subscription (weekly or annual) unlocks up to 3 hours of transcription per day.