Sending and receiving audio messages on an iPhone is a fun way to communicate. Sometimes, you may get an audio message that you want to save and keep rather than having it exist just in the messaging thread. On iPhone, there are two easy ways to save an audio message – you can save it directly in the Messages app or export it to the Voice Memos app.

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Save an Audio Message in Messages

The Messages app has a built-in feature that allows you to save audio messages to the conversation thread. This keeps the audio message accessible in Messages without taking up space in your Voice Memos library. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open the Messages app and locate the conversation with the audio message.
  2. Tap on the audio message to open the audio player.
  3. In the bottom right corner of the screen, tap the ‘Keep’ icon (a downwards-facing arrow).
  4. This will save the audio message within the conversation thread. You’ll now see a ‘Saved Message’ tag on the message.
  5. To access the saved audio later, simply reopen the conversation thread, and you’ll be able to play the message again.

The benefit of using the Keep feature is convenience – the audio stays neatly filed away in the relevant Messages conversation. The downside is that it won’t be accessible outside of Messages.

Save an Audio Message to Voice Memos

If you want an audio message accessible outside of Messages, you can save it directly to the Voice Memos app using the share sheet:

  1. Open Messages and tap the audio message to bring up the audio player.
  2. Tap and hold the playback dot icon.
  3. In the share sheet that appears, tap ‘Save to Voice Memos.’
  4. This will export and save the audio message as a voice memo in the Voice Memos app.
  5. To access it, open the Voice Memos app. The saved message will appear along with your other voice memos.

Saving to Voice Memos lets you access the audio message like any other voice memo – you can listen to it, share it, etc. It also persists even if you delete the message thread later on. The only downside is that it takes up more device storage space than saving in Messages.

Important Things to Remember When Saving Audio Messages

Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when saving audio messages on your iPhone:

  • If you save an audio message to Voice Memos, it will be copied there rather than moved. The original will still exist in Messages.
  • To delete a saved audio message from Messages, swipe left on the message and tap ‘Unkeep.’
  • Make sure you have enough available storage space if saving multiple large audio messages to Voice Memos.
  • Give the Voice Memo a name after saving it so you can easily identify it later.

Conclusion

Being able to preserve important or memorable audio messages is handy if you ever want to go back and reference them later. Use the Keep feature to conveniently tuck them away right in the Messages app or export them to Voice Memos if you need them accessible outside of Messages. Now, you never have to worry about losing old audio messages again!