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How to Save Audio Messages on iPhone: Guide

By default, an iPhone, an iPad, or any other Apple’s iMessage service will automatically remove any audio message 2 minutes after you have listened to them. This setting is handy to eliminate storing junk on the device and ensure that it keeps running smoothly. However, on many occasions, you will want to save these audio messages to listen to them again because they are helpful, funny, and for memory. Here’s how to save audio messages on your iPhone (and do it permanently) and adjust your device’s settings to keep it from constantly removing your audio messages.

After all, they help to prove something or simply for safety. If you’re struggling with deleted audio messages, you are in the right place.

how to save audio messages on iphone - step by step

How to save audio messages on iPhone (step by step)

If you want to save an audio message that you have sent yourself in the Messages App, notice that just below your message, on the right, there is a “Keep” option. Select this option, and it will not be removed. To listen to this message again, search for it and play it.

Saving a message you have received on your iPhone or iPad is very similar:

  1. Play on the message
  2. 2. You will be informed that it expires in 2m.
  3. 3. Wait for the option “Keep” to appear. And that’s it. You have to search for it to play it.

How to save audio messages on Mac

If you prefer to have a backup or have everything saved on your Mac computer, you can also configure your options to save your audio messages to your computer. In this case, you will have to import the files:

  1. Go to your iCloud account. Find the iMessage settings and configure it to appear on your iPhone and your Mac.
  2. Open the iMessage App on your Mac.
  3. Find the audio message in the conversation you are interested in.
  4. Right-click on the message and select the “Copy” option.
  5. Create a folder on your computer (e.g., Desktop) with a descriptive name (like “important audio messages from iPhone”).
  6. Right-click and “Paste Item.”
  7. Now you can manually save as many messages as you want.
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how to save audio messages on iphone - mac

How to save these settings on your iPhone permanently

Suppose you are not interested in manually saving each message and prefer to save all the messages you send and receive automatically. In that case, you can adjust the settings to do it yourself. However, after you have done so, don’t forget to clean up your device occasionally because they probably take up a lot of space on your device, slowing it down.

This is how you save all your audio messages on an iPhone automatically:

  1. Go to your Settings on the Menu.
  2. Look for “Messages.”
  3. At the bottom of the screen, in the “Audio Messages” section, tap on “Expire” (just to the right, it will say “After 2 Minutes”.
  4. Change “After 2 Minutes” to “Never.”

It’s that easy! You can change your settings later by following the same procedure. If you want to ensure everything is backed up, you can enable Messages in iCloud to have your audio messages available on all your Apple devices.

Other ways to manually save audio messages on iPhone

There is another “traditional” way to save only a few audio messages, i.e., not having to change the phone settings to save all the audio messages you send and receive. 

On the other hand, although saving audio messages one by one is very easy, searching for them later in the conversation is tedious. If you want to have audio messages saved and at hand, there is another way. Moreover, it is a much more organized way: it is a matter of saving them in your notes.

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how to save audio messages on iphone - notes manually

Start by following the same procedure as saving one by one. Play and choose the “Keep” option at the bottom right of the sent or received message. Then, hold down the message you want to save for a second until the “Copy” option appears. Now, you can go to your Files App and choose if you want to create a folder in Google Drive, iCloud Drive, Dropbox, etc. Even in your notes. Wherever is most convenient for you.

We recommend you divide these folders according to why you save the messages. For example, call it “Work Audio Messages” if it’s work stuff. If they are messages from your partner, use another descriptive name to help you find them later. Even if you want to save several messages from several conversations, create one big folder called “iPhone Audio Messages” and create other folders inside it.

Once you’re organized (it’s easier to do it before you start saving), right-click and tap “Paste.” That’s it! Now you can listen to your audio messages as often as possible. Let us know in the comments if this tutorial helped you to save your audio messages. Good luck!