Apple to bring AI Audio transcription for system apps with iOS 18

Apple will enhance iOS 18 with new Artificial Intelligence (AI) features including a system-wide AI transcription feature.

AppleInsider reports that Apple is testing a new AI-powered audio transcription feature for next-generation OS versions. The feature makes an impact on the experience for apps including Notes, Voice Memos, and other apps.

The new feature is expected to come with iOS 18, macOS 15, and iPadOS 18, which will be announced at Apple’s annual developer conference WWDC24 in June.

The transcript feature will first land on the voice memo app, which you can find on all Apple ecosystem devices. Users will be able to generate a transcript of each recording similar to the Live Voicemail feature.

In March, Apple introduced transcripts to the Podcasts app. The feature enables users to read the full text of an episode, and search episode for a specific word or phrase. Users can tap on the text to play the podcast from that point in the episode. It highlights the word as the episode progresses, making it easy to tag along.

The planned integration of the transcript for the voice memo app appears in the center of the app window. It replaces the graphical representation of recorded audio.

Notes are also under test with this new capability to simplify. Test versions of these two apps show the presence of a transcription button. Once accessed, the button will enable transcription of the recorded audio on screen. The feature will be optimized for several use cases and professions to provide robust transcription.