What app can I use instead of a dictaphone?

QWhile clearing out my shed, I stumbled across my old dictaphone and thought I could put it to use. Sadly, it hasn’t aged well and no longer works. Instead of buying a new one, could you recommend a phone app that will turn my phone into a dictaphone? Miles Jenkins

AYou may already have a basic voice-recording app on your phone. iphones, for example, have a preinstalled Voice Memos app, which lets you start recording a voice memo by pressing the circular red button. You can name and rename each recording, but the app is otherwise fairly limited.

Instead, we recommend using Google Keep (Android www.snipca.com/33350; IOS www. snipca.com/33349). To record a new voice memo, open the app, press the microphone icon (bottom right), then start speaking. Tap the microphone button in the middle of the screen to stop recording.

Impressively, the app not only records your voice, but also transcribes what you say. The accuracy of the transcription depends on a number of factors (including the level of background noise), but we found it generally worked well.

This also means you can search your voice recordings by entering keywords in the search box at the top, letting you quickly hunt down and listen to specific recordings (press the play button under each recording to hear it – see screenshot). If you want to share a recording with someone, long-press it, then tap the three vertical dots, followed by Send.

Google Keep lets you add more than just voice memos. Using the buttons along the bottom, you can create to-do lists, add images (either new ones taken with your phone’s camera or any already stored on your phone). You can also scribble drawings directly on your phone’s screen (see top right of screenshot). Alternatively, tap ‘Take a note…’ to create a simple text-based note.

Do you need our advice on what software to use? Just email us at letters@computeractive.co.uk