Hear2Text

AAC to Text Converter

Upload an AAC or M4A file, from Voice Memos, GarageBand or a podcast download, and get a timestamped transcript you can edit and export. 100 languages are detected automatically. The free plan gives you 120 minutes every week.

Transcribe an AAC file

Paste a link to the file, or press Transcribe to upload it

Free plan: 120 minutes every week. Files up to 500 MB and 6 hours.

Upload AAC as it is, no conversion

Upload a .aac or .m4a file as it is; there is nothing to convert first. AAC compression at normal bitrates keeps speech clear, so it barely changes recognition accuracy. Noise does: a quiet room and a microphone close to the speaker matter far more than the file format. On clear audio accuracy reaches up to 99%, and the language is detected automatically across 100 languages.

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Voice Memos, GarageBand and podcast downloads

On an iPhone, Voice Memos keeps recordings as M4A files with AAC audio; share a memo to Files or AirDrop it to your Mac to get the file. GarageBand can export a project as AAC, and podcast episodes you downloaded are usually AAC too. Android recorder apps often save AAC as well. Upload the file, up to 500 MB and 6 hours long, or paste a public link to it. Files bought with DRM, such as Apple Music tracks, cannot be read.

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Ask questions about your recording

Once your AAC recording is text, ask the AI assistant about it. Find the moment a decision was made in an hour-long voice memo, pull the names and dates out of an interview, or get a short list of what a podcast episode covered. The assistant is part of the paid plans.

  • Get the gist of a long recording
  • Pull out names, dates and figures
  • Find where a topic came up
  • Turn a voice memo into tidy notes
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How to convert AAC to text

From an AAC file to editable text in four steps.

  1. Step 01

    Upload the AAC file

    Choose a .aac or .m4a file from your phone or computer, up to 500 MB, or paste a public link to the file.

  2. Step 02

    Language detected, speech transcribed

    The spoken language is detected automatically, and the recording is transcribed in minutes, with a timestamp on every segment.

  3. Step 03

    Review and correct

    Read along with the timestamps and fix names, jargon or anything the audio made unclear, right in the browser.

  4. Step 04

    Export the text

    Download a TXT file on the free plan. Paid plans add SRT, VTT, Word and PDF, plus summaries and translation.

Who uses AAC transcription

Anyone with speech saved as AAC, on an iPhone, in GarageBand or in a podcast app.

  • iPhone voice memos

    You talk through ideas in Voice Memos on the walk home. Upload the memo and get searchable text you can paste into your notes instead of listening again.

  • Podcast listeners

    You downloaded an episode and want the one quote you remember. Transcribe it, search the text and jump to the timestamp.

  • Recorded lectures and talks

    A student records a lecture on an iPhone or iPad and uploads the AAC file. The timestamped transcript makes the part that matters easy to find before the exam.

  • Musicians and producers

    Musicians and producers transcribe interviews, voice notes and session talk exported from GarageBand. Singing and lyrics transcribe poorly, so this is for speech, not songs.

What you get with AAC transcription

  1. AAC and M4A files

    Upload .aac and .m4a files directly, along with MP3, WAV, FLAC, OGG and video formats. No conversion step.

  2. Apple audio without DRM

    Files from Apple devices and apps work when they are not DRM-protected: Voice Memos, GarageBand exports and podcast downloads.

  3. Ready for voice memos

    Share a memo from the Voice Memos app and upload it, or record in the Hear2Text app for iPhone and Android.

  4. Speaker labels

    Each speaker is labelled (Speaker 1, Speaker 2) on every plan, so an interview or meeting reads as a conversation. On the paid plans you can rename them.

  5. Accurate on clear audio

    Up to 99% accurate on clear speech. Noise, overlapping voices and distant microphones lower it, so check names and numbers.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between AAC and M4A?
AAC is the codec, the way the sound is compressed. M4A is the container, the file that holds that compressed audio, and most M4A files have AAC inside. A .aac file is raw AAC audio without the container. For transcription the difference does not matter: upload either one, up to 500 MB and 6 hours long, and you get the same transcript.
Can I transcribe iPhone voice memos?
Yes. Voice Memos saves recordings as M4A files with AAC audio inside. Open the memo, tap the three dots, choose Share and save it to Files or send it to your computer, then upload it here. The language is detected automatically, and the free plan covers 120 minutes every week. You can also record straight into the Hear2Text app for iPhone.
Can I transcribe DRM-protected iTunes files?
No, DRM-protected files cannot be transcribed. That includes Apple Music tracks, older iTunes Store purchases, audiobooks from Audible and similar copy-protected audio. The protection stops the file from being decoded outside the app that owns it. Files you recorded or created yourself, such as Voice Memos, GarageBand exports and downloaded podcast episodes, are not protected and work normally.
Is AAC transcription as accurate as WAV?
Yes, for speech it is practically the same. At normal bitrates AAC compression removes detail your ears barely notice, and speech recognition barely notices it either. What lowers accuracy is background noise, music under the voices, people talking over each other and a microphone far from the speaker. On clear audio expect 95 to 99% accuracy, whichever format you use.
Can I transcribe Apple Podcasts episodes?
Yes. Copy the episode link from Apple Podcasts (Share, then Copy Link) and paste it into the box; you do not need to download the episode first. Public episodes up to 6 hours long work. If you already downloaded the episode, you can upload the file instead, up to 500 MB. Episodes behind a paid subscription cannot be fetched from a link.

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Upload an AAC file and read it as text in minutes

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Transcribe your first AAC file with 120 free minutes a week

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