Turn a Signal Voice Message or Call into a Transcript
Signal is built around end-to-end encryption, and ScreenApp has no integration with it: there is no way to connect to a Signal conversation and pull a voice message or call automatically. The audio has to come from a file you already have, or from a recording you make yourself with someone’s consent.
Reading the text back is faster than replaying a voice message to catch one detail, and it gives you a written record of what was said.
What you get:
- speaker identification, useful for group chats and calls with more than one speaker
- Timestamps on every segment, for pointing to a specific moment
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- transcript and caption translation, so a voice message in another language reads in yours
- AI chat with the transcript, so you can ask a question about it instead of replaying the whole thing
- Free plan: 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each
How to Transcribe a Signal Voice Message or Call
- Get the audio off Signal. For a voice message, long-press it in the chat and use Signal’s save or share option to get the file onto your device. If your version of Signal has no save option, play the message on speaker and record it instead, using the ScreenApp mobile app or your browser’s microphone recorder. For a Signal call, there is no export: record the desktop app’s audio with a screen recorder while the call happens, and only with the other person’s consent.
- Upload the file. ScreenApp accepts MP3, M4A, MP4A, M4B, AAC, WAV, OGG, OPUS, FLAC, AIFF, WMA, WEBMA, MKA, AC3, EAC3, WV, AMR, DSF, DFF for uploads, so most saved Signal voice messages work without converting anything first.
- Read the transcript. The transcript, with speaker labels and timestamps, is ready a few minutes later. Translate it, export it as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT, or ask the AI a question about the content.
Recording a call this way, or re-recording a voice message off a speaker, adds background noise that a direct file export does not have, and moving audio outside Signal also moves it outside Signal’s encryption once it reaches ScreenApp for processing. Accuracy depends on the recording, not just the transcription engine. See how we measure accuracy.
Signal Voice Transcription vs Other Tools
| Feature | ScreenApp | Otter.ai | Notta.ai | Rev |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | 300 min/month | 120 min/month | 45 min/month |
| File upload transcription | Yes | 3 lifetime imports (free) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Speaker identification | Yes | Yes (Basic plan) | Included | Not stated |
| Export formats | PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT | mp3 and txt on the free plan, plus pdf, docx and srt from Pro, with bulk export from Business | TXT, DOCX, PDF, or XLSX | Not stated |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $8.33/month annual | $8.17/month annual | $25.49/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-10-01: ScreenApp pricing, otter.ai/pricing, notta.ai/en/pricing, rev.com/pricing, notta.ai/en/lecture-summarizer
- vs Otter.ai: Otter’s free plan caps uploads at 3 lifetime file imports, after which Pro costs $8.33 a month billed annually. ScreenApp’s free plan covers 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each.
- vs Notta.ai: Notta’s free plan runs 120 minutes a month with Included speaker identification, and Pro is $8.17 a month annually. ScreenApp adds AI chat and translation on the transcript at no extra cost.
- vs Rev: Rev’s free AI transcription covers 45 minutes a month, and its Essentials plan is $25.49 a month annually. ScreenApp’s free plan includes speaker labels and transcript export on both free transcriptions.
None of these three list a Signal-specific integration on their own pricing or feature pages; all four tools, ScreenApp included, work from an uploaded file.
Who Uses Signal Voice Transcription
Privacy-focused professionals. Lawyers, journalists, and healthcare workers who use Signal for sensitive conversations can save a voice message and turn it into text when they need a written copy, understanding that moving the audio to a transcription tool means it is no longer end-to-end encrypted.
Multilingual contacts. People receiving voice messages in a language they read better than they hear can get text and translation in one step after saving the file.
Accessibility. Deaf and hard-of-hearing users can read a saved voice message instead of depending on someone else to relay the content.
Documentation and compliance. Teams that need a written record of a call or voice message, for a dispute or a project file, can transcribe the recording once it is captured or saved, with the other party’s consent for a call.
Students and researchers. Interview recordings and field notes sent through Signal can be saved and converted into searchable text for analysis and citation.