If you’re recording an interview, podcast, or music on a budget, your iPhone should be your microphone of choice. While it’s unrealistic to hit studio recording standards with an iPhone, you can still get pretty decent sound if you know what you’re doing.

If this is your goal, here are some tips you can use to improve the quality of audio recording on your iPhone. That way, you’ll have a clear, high-quality audio file to use, whatever your project.

1. Make sure nothing is blocking your iPhone’s microphone

Most iPhone models have more than one microphone. But when you’re recording, let’s focus on the microphone at the bottom of your device. The first advice is to check that no object is blocking this microphone.

For example, if you place your iPhone on the table, do not place books or folders in front of it. If you’re holding your iPhone, don’t close your finger or palm over the microphone. Either of these errors will choke out the audio you record on your iPhone.

Instead, place your iPhone on a clutter-free table. Or if your iPhone is in your hand, hold it without covering the microphone

2. Aim your iPhone’s microphone at the sound source

The second tip is to make sure you’re pointing your iPhone’s microphone at the sound source. For example, when interviewing someone, always point the bottom of your iPhone towards the person who is speaking. You may have already noticed this practice on some television news footage, where reporters and journalists point the base of their smartphones at the individual who is speaking.

3. Don’t place your microphone too close to the sound source

If you have ever recorded yourself singing using Voice Memos app or recorded a long voice message on social media apps like WhatsApp, you might have heard that the sound of each of your breaths is very strong between sentences. The likely reason is that your iPhone was too close to your mouth.

Most of us aren’t professional singers who can control our every breath, but when your iPhone’s microphone is right in front of your lips, every breath will be amplified during playback.

It’s best to place your iPhone slightly under your chin or to the side of your face. Alternatively, you can place your iPhone on a table in front of you. Then speak louder to compensate for the drop in volume due to distance.

4. Mute Your iPhone or Enable Airplane Mode

Muting your iPhone or turning on Airplane Mode avoids interruptions while you’re recording. You can easily mute your iPhone by pressing the switch on the side. You will see an orange band when your iPhone is in silent mode. This way, you won’t have to worry about incoming notifications being part of your recorded audio.

You can also choose to enable airplane mode to prevent your iPhone from vibrating as well. This helps because in airplane mode, your iPhone will not receive any texts or calls. To enable Airplane Mode, simply go to your iPhone’s Control Center and tap the Airplane mode icon. It is orange when activated.

5. Change the sound quality to lossless in your settings

Lossless audio avoids any file compression and aims to provide users with a high-quality audio experience, at the cost of recordings taking up more space on your iPhone. Make sure to update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS to get the Lossless feature for Voice Memos app on your iPhone. Then follow these steps to enable it:

1. In the Settings app, select Voice Memos.
2. To select Audio quality.
3. To select lossless.

6. Improve recordings in Voice Memos app

Improve recording is a simple feature to enhance the audio recorded on your iPhone in the Voice Memos app. While it won’t magically transform noise-filled audio into a professional recording, the recording enhancement feature does help to reduce echoes and background noise to some extent.

Here’s how to apply the Record Enhancement feature:

1. In Voice Memostap a recording.
2. Press the Choice button (which looks like three sliders).
3. Press to activate Improve recording.

The downside of Enhance Recording is that it may not work on all voice memos. You may not always hear a different sound when you turn the feature on or off. Also, when that doesn’t work, the end result sometimes looks like a scaled-down version of the original. But whenever you are not satisfied, you can easily turn off Improve recording disabled.

7. Use third-party audio recording apps

While the iPhone’s Voice Memos app is great for basic recording and editing, you can check out third-party apps from the App Store if you want more functionality. A great iPhone app for work is Dolby On. When you record audio with Dolby On, the app automatically applies noise reduction, volume maximization, etc.

The most exciting part is Dolby On’s audio editing features. For example, you can apply styles like Standard, Natural, etc., to give your audio a different feel. You can also change the tone by adjusting the treble, midrange, and bass.

To download: Dolby enabled (free)

8. Use a windshield for your iPhone’s microphone

Much like a windshield for normal microphones, a smartphone windshield is a squishy or fluffy covering that you place over the base of your iPhone where the microphone is. This helps prevent loud pops and pops of sound caused by gusts of air, such as wind or heavy breathing.

You can often find microphone windscreens for smartphones on online electronics shopping platforms. Sellers sometimes use the term “pop filter” interchangeably with windshield.

9. Use an external microphone

If you’re still not satisfied with the audio quality of your iPhone’s microphone, but you’re not ready to spend a lot of money on a big recording setup, you can start with an external microphone for your iPhone. . When choosing what to buy, consider whether you want a wired or wireless iPhone microphone. A wired one will connect to your device through the lightning port. A cordless uses Bluetooth, which is more convenient if you’re on the go a lot.

Record high quality audio on your iPhone

We hope these simple tips can help you make better audio recordings on your iPhone. Whether it’s a simple interview you want to transcribe later, or sound clips you intend to use in a musical project, good sound is essential for quality results.

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