One of the many features of your smartphone includes recording audio using the device’s built-in microphones. You can use it to record voice notes, keep reminders, and with the right setup, you can even record songs, live stream your mobile games, and more. Here’s how to record external and internal audio on your Android device.
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How to Record External Audio on Android
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You can record decent audio with your Android phone’s built-in microphones. The primary mic on many phones is at the bottom, next to the charging port, and you’ll find secondary mics, one or two, at the top or on the back. Test the mics with an audio recording app to see what works best.
You can also use wired and wireless headphones with mics, Bluetooth headphones, or external mics to improve the quality of your audio recordings. Remember that you will need to change the audio source in the sound recorder app, otherwise the phone’s microphones will be used by default. Not all audio recording apps will have this option.
Speaking of audio recording apps, you’ll need a good one to get the most out of your audio recording experience. Be sure to check out our roundup of the best audio recording apps you can get for Android. The phone’s built-in voice recorders aren’t usually as good. For this guide, we’ll be using Dolby On.
Dolby On is a free voice recorder with features usually hidden behind a paywall. To use the app as a simple voice recorder, tap the big mic button to get started. As soon as you are done recording, you will see a message informing you of the post-processing the application will perform – noise reduction, dynamic equalizer, compression, volume maximization, etc. You can also shoot videos or set up a live stream from the app.
Once your recording is finished, you can find it in the tracklist. Tap the music note icon at the bottom left to find your saved tracks. You are good to go if you are happy with the check-in. However, Dolby On lets you control certain aspects of audio recording. Tap the track you want to edit and navigate to Tools in the lower left corner. You can change the noise reduction level, adjust the treble, midrange and bass, boost the sound or use preset equalizer styles. The controls are pretty basic, but it’s an easy way to make quick adjustments on the fly.
How to Record Internal Audio on Android
Since Android 10, recording your screen with internal audio has become more accessible. You don’t need to jump through hoops and you don’t need to root your phone anymore. Newer phones from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. have an inbuilt screen recording feature that lets you capture internal audio.
I used a OnePlus phone in this guide, so the steps on your device may be slightly different. On most of these phones you should see the screen recorder option in the Quick Settings section of the notification drop-down list. If you don’t, tap the pen tool icon in the drop-down list to add the setting. Press on screen recorder and open Settings (gear icon) on the floating widget. Go to audio-source and select Internal audio.