Ilfat from Letterly
Ilfat
on October 15, 2025

Recovering Voice Memos on iPhone: Step-by-Step Guide

3 min to read

Can’t find that important work meeting or important idea recording in your Voice Memos app, even though you’re sure you recorded it? No worries – this quick guide will help you get it back! Let’s explore together how to recover deleted voice memos on your iPhone.

1. Check the recently deleted folder

If you accidentally deleted your voice memos, they might still be stored in the Recently Deleted folder.

  1. Open the Voice Memos app.
  1. Tap on the Recently Deleted folder.
  2. If you see your deleted memos there, just tap Recover on the right side to get them back.

2. Check iCloud Drive

If you manually saved or shared voice memos to iCloud Drive:

  1. Open the Files app → iCloud Drive → Voice Memos (or custom folder).
  2. See if it’s stored there.
  3. If deleted, check the Recently Deleted section in Files → tap Recover.

3. Check in Messages / Mail / Notes

If you’ve shared or exported memos before (e.g., sent via iMessage, email, or saved in Notes):

  • Open Messages, Mail, or Notes.
  • Use the search bar and type the memo’s title or keywords like “voice memo.”

4. Restore from an older iCloud Backup

If your voice memos were included in an older iCloud backup, you can try restoring from that backup.

  • Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
  • Follow the prompts to erase your iPhone.
  • During the setup process, choose to restore from an iCloud backup and select the appropriate backup.

💡Tips to make sure you never lose important voice memos

  • Back up regularly to iCloud.

    This ensures your recordings are always safe, even if you lose or reset your device.

  • Save important memos to iCloud Drive.

    It’s a quick way to access them from any device whenever you need.

  • Transfer memos to your computer.

    Check out our step-by-step guide to learn how to do it easily.

  • Use voice memo apps for extra safety and convenience.

    For example, with Letterly, your memos are securely stored across all your devices – and automatically transcribed with 99% accuracy. You can also organize your notes with custom tags, making it super easy to revisit and review them later.

I hope this little guide helps you track down that missing memo – and never lose one again!😊

Got questions? Email us at hi@letterly.app – we’re happy to help.