MEMORY NOTCH BLOG

Offline transcription app for Android phones

Pixels have Recorder, Galaxy phones have Transcript Assist, Live Transcribe captions offline. What each does without a signal, and a two-minute test.

Published November 6, 2026 · By Cho Yin Yong

An offline transcription app may already be on your Android phone: on a Pixel, Recorder transcribes on the phone, and on recent Galaxy phones, Transcript Assist in Samsung's voice recorder works offline. Live Transcribe shows captions offline once you download a language. For other phones, Memory Notch for Android went live on Google Play this week, in November 2026, and it transcribes without a connection.

Pixel: the built-in recorder app labels speakers on Pixel 6 and later, in American English.
Galaxy: the voice recorder's transcript tool runs on select phones with a recent version of Samsung's software.
Captions only: the captioning app shows speech as text and keeps it for up to three days.
Other phones: Memory Notch records meetings, transcribes them and numbers the speakers on the phone.
The test: turn off every connection, record a minute, and see whether the text still appears.

Is there an offline transcription app for Android?

Yes. Google and Samsung each build one into their own phones, and apps on Google Play cover the rest. Which one fits depends mostly on who made your phone.

App	Runs on	Works offline	Speaker labels	What to check
Google Recorder	Pixel phones	Yes, transcription runs on the phone	Pixel 6 and later, US English only	"Transcribe again" may use Google servers
Google Live Transcribe	Pixel and select Android phones	Yes, for downloaded languages; on by default	Not described on Google's help page	History is deleted after three days
Samsung Transcript Assist	Select Galaxy phones and tablets, Android 14 with One UI 6.1 or higher	Yes, per Samsung's feature table	Speaker recognition	Needs a Samsung account
Memory Notch for Android	Android 12 or newer	Yes; the app has no internet permission	Numbered, on the phone	Live text needs 8 GB of RAM

Checked November 6, 2026.

Google Recorder

Recorder is the most finished choice on a Pixel. In 2019, Google's research team wrote about the app's features. They "run entirely on-device, without the need for an internet connection." Google's current help page on transcriptions lists 15 languages for live text on newer phones. It lists about 40 for transcribing a recording again.

Two parts can leave the phone. Transcribing again "may process audio files on Google servers." Some languages also need internet access for summaries.

Google Live Transcribe

Live Transcribe is a captioning tool from Google's accessibility team. Its help page says offline transcription is on by default. It suits following a conversation in the moment.

Samsung Transcript Assist

Transcript Assist sits inside Samsung's voice recorder app. Samsung's feature table marks it as working offline and needing a Samsung account. Its support page lists the software it needs and a switch called "Process data only on device," which turns off cloud processing for all of Samsung's AI features. Samsung's guide to the tool says it includes speaker recognition.

Memory Notch for Android

Memory Notch is our app. It records a meeting and shows the transcript as people talk. It numbers the speakers and saves each recording as audio and a text note. The app's page has the details.

Does Live Transcribe work offline?

Yes, for languages you have downloaded. Google's help page says offline transcription is on by default. To check, open the app's settings, then additional settings, then advanced. The "Transcribe offline" switch is there.

Language downloads sit under additional settings, marked with a download icon. Android 12 or later phones can download several languages. Older phones, back to Android 8, get English only.

Two limits matter if you want to keep a transcript. History stays for up to three days and is then deleted. With history turned off, the text goes after 24 hours. So copy anything you need out of the app the same day. For a meeting you want to read next week, a recorder app fits better.

How do I check that an app transcribes on the phone?

Run an airplane-mode test, then read what the developer declares. The test shows what the app does. The declaration tells you what the developer says it does.

Cut every connection: switch on airplane mode, then check that the wireless network and mobile data are both off.
Record a minute of speech: read a paragraph aloud, or play a podcast near the phone.
Watch for text: if words appear as you speak, or a transcript arrives when you stop, the work happened on the phone.
Try the extras: summaries, translation and transcribing again are often the parts that need a server.
Reconnect and watch: a note that starts "processing" or "syncing" once you are back online is a sign the audio is going somewhere.

Next, open the app's store listing and read the data safety section. Google's help page says this section is "based on information declared by app developers." Google adds that a security review "does not verify the accuracy and completeness" of it. So treat it as the developer's own statement, and check it against the privacy policy and your test.

For our app, section 15 of the privacy policy covers the phone version. It says the app "collects nothing" and asks for two permissions: the microphone and notifications. It also says "its only use of the network is Google Play Billing," the store's payment system. Our post on why meeting notes don't need the cloud explains the trade-off at more length.

What phone do I need for offline transcription?

The phone you need depends on the app. Pixel phones run Recorder, and supported Galaxy phones run Samsung's tool. Speech models are large, so storage and memory count for more than the system version.

Our app's page lists three needs:

System: version 12 or newer.
Storage: about 1.6 GB free, because the speech models come with the install and unpack once, the first time you open the app.
Memory: 8 GB of RAM or more for live text; with less, the app records normally and makes the transcript after you press stop.

So a phone with 6 GB of RAM still gets a full transcript and speaker labels. They arrive after the meeting instead of during it. The maker's spec sheet lists the RAM if you don't know it.

Can an Android app label speakers offline?

Yes. Recorder, Samsung's tool and our app all separate voices on the phone. None of them knows anyone's name until you add it. This step is called speaker diarization, and our explainer on diarization covers how it works and where it slips.

Google's speaker labels page says Recorder numbers each new voice. The work happens "on your phone or tablet." It works only in American English, and you can rename a label from the transcript.

Our app labels speakers as they talk, or right after you press stop on phones with less memory. The labels stay numbers until you rename them.

Labels work best with one person talking at a time. Two people talking over each other, or two similar voices, can end up under one number.

What our app doesn't do

It doesn't record phone calls or other apps' audio, so use it for meetings in the room or on speaker.
It writes no automatic summaries.
It names no one; speakers are numbered.
It is bought separately from the Mac, Windows and iPhone versions, and each device keeps its own recordings.

We haven't tested the other three apps side by side on one recording. The comparison above comes from each company's own pages.

Running on the phone keeps the audio off a server. It doesn't replace consent. Tell people before you record them, and follow your workplace's rules and local law. Our guide to recording and transcribing an in-person meeting covers how to ask. For research interviews, see how to transcribe an interview for qualitative research.

How much does Memory Notch for Android cost?

Prices here are in American dollars. The app is free to download from Google Play. Free recordings last up to five minutes, and everything captured is saved. Your first two longer recordings run to the end, so you can try it on a real meeting.

A one-time purchase of $5.99 removes the limit. That is the price in America; the store shows the price for your country. There is no subscription and no account.

A version for iPhone and iPad is on the App Store, and the Mac app is at /get/.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best offline transcription app for Android?

On a Pixel, start with Recorder, Google's own recording app, which labels speakers on Pixel 6 and later. On a supported Galaxy, try Transcript Assist in Samsung's voice recorder. On other phones running version 12 or newer, Memory Notch records and transcribes meetings on the phone. Live Transcribe is for captions, not saved notes.

Is there a free offline transcription app for Android?

Google's and Samsung's help pages list no price for their recorder or captioning tools on the phones that support them. Memory Notch is free to download. Free recordings last up to five minutes, and your first two longer ones run to the end. A one-time purchase of $5.99, the American price, removes the limit.

Does Google Recorder work without internet?

Its transcription does. Google's research team wrote in 2019 that the app's features run entirely on the device. Google's current help page says transcribing again may send audio to Google's servers, and some languages need internet access for summaries.

Can I transcribe a meeting offline on Android?

Yes. Recorder on a Pixel, Samsung's tool on a supported Galaxy, and Memory Notch on other phones all transcribe without a connection. Run an airplane-mode test before a meeting that matters, and tell the people in the room that you are recording.

Does Memory Notch for Android need an internet connection?

No. The app has no internet permission. Recording, transcription and speaker labels run on the phone, and there is no account. The one-time purchase goes through the store app.

Sources

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