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: one recording of up to 45 minutes
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, WAV, M4A, AAC, OGG and FLAC 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 | one recording, up to 45 min | 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, txt, pdf, docx, srt (Pro, Business and Enterprise plans, with bulk export) | 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 2026-09-13: github.com/screenappai/screenapp-new/blob/main/apps/web/src/app/api/files/[id]/transcript/export/route.ts, screenapp.io/pricing, screenapp.io/help/how-many-minutes-can-i-record, 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 does not cap the number of uploads on the free plan, only the length of the one free recording.
- 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 export on the one free recording.
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.
FAQ
Can ScreenApp automatically pull my Signal voice messages or calls?
No. Signal has no integration with ScreenApp and its conversations are end-to-end encrypted, so there is no way to connect to them and pull audio automatically. You need to save the voice message as a file and upload it, or record a call’s audio yourself.
How do I save a Signal voice message to transcribe it?
Long-press the voice message in your Signal chat and use the save or share option to get the file onto your device. On Android, it usually saves to your downloads folder. On iOS, use the share menu to save it to Files. If your version of Signal has no save option, play the message on speaker and record it with the ScreenApp mobile app or a browser microphone recorder.
How do I transcribe a Signal call?
Signal has no export option for calls. The only way to capture one is to record the desktop app’s audio with a screen recorder while the call is happening, and only with the other person’s knowledge and consent. Once you have that recording as a file, upload it the same way as a voice message.
Does transcribing a Signal voice message keep it end-to-end encrypted?
No. Signal’s end-to-end encryption protects the message inside Signal. Once you export or record the audio and upload it to ScreenApp for transcription, it is processed on ScreenApp’s servers like any other uploaded audio file, not inside Signal’s encrypted channel.
Is the transcription free?
Yes. The free plan covers one recording of up to 45 minutes with no account required.
How accurate is the transcription?
Accuracy depends on the recording. A voice message saved directly from Signal transcribes more cleanly than one re-recorded off a speaker or a screen-recorded call, especially in a noisy room. Full per-language figures are on the accuracy page.
Can it handle voice messages in languages other than English?
Yes. ScreenApp detects the spoken language automatically and transcribes in 99 languages. You can also translate the finished transcript with transcript and caption translation.
Is my audio stored after transcription?
Audio you upload is kept in your library like any other recording so you can come back to the transcript. It is not used to train AI models.
Can ScreenApp identify different speakers in a Signal group chat or call?
Yes. When a recording includes more than one speaker, speaker identification detects and labels each person in the transcript.
