# Android Audio Recording App **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** audio-observations\ **Created:** [May 10, 2025, 6:36am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964 "2025-05-10T06:36:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 6:36am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/1 "2025-05-10T06:36:07Z")
Hey everyone. Wondering if anyone has found a suitable app for audio recording. Currently, I have been using the built-in “recorder” for my Android phone. The process I have to go through to add them into iNat is to 1. Record call - make note of what/when/where 2. Upload to the cloud 3. Log into Google Recorder and download the audio file. 4. Convert the m4a file into an mp3 5. Upload to iNat. There are a few clunky steps in this process. 1. I have to upload to the cloud and then download onto my PC. 2. I have to convert from m4a to mp3 (as Google will not convert) 3. The metadata does not come with the file/or is lost in conversion, so I have to manually adjust the time/date/location for every observation. Does anyone have a better solution? P.s - I do not record directly into the iNat app as I am often in remote areas without service. Thank you in advance. ---
**Author:** ![IDfanatic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecd19e/32.png) [@IDfanatic](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/IDfanatic)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:03pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/2 "2025-05-10T12:03:52Z")
[Merlin Bird ID by Cornell Lab](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labs.merlinbirdid.app&hl=en-US) You can share to iNat directly, but in most cases you probably need the file on the PC anyways. The drive up/download is the common practice afaik. The basic phone recorder does just as well for me, but that depends on the phone, not the app. (afaik) ---
**Author:** ![squidtk](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/squidtk/32/7385_2.png) [@squidtk](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/squidtk)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 12:43pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/3 "2025-05-10T12:43:35Z")
I record Audio with Merlin. It shows up in “my files” as a .wav, which can be uploaded to iNat without modifying, but it doesn’t fix the metadata issue ---
**Author:** ![spidercat](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/spidercat/32/54363_2.png) [@spidercat](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/spidercat)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 4:55pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/4 "2025-05-10T16:55:05Z")
Thirding using Merlin for this purpose. Depending on how savvy you are using file browsers in Android, it’s possible to locate and upload the Merlin .wav files from the iNaturalist app. ---
**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2025, 5:41pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/5 "2025-05-10T17:41:39Z")
> [@a\_teitzel](#): > > P.s - I do not record directly into the iNat app as I am often in remote areas without service. you don’t need an internet connection to record audio in the iNat app. ---
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 1:27am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/6 "2025-05-11T01:27:37Z")
> [@pisum](#): > > you don’t need an internet connection to record audio in the iNat app. oh great! I am often bush (and without service) for days at a time and have no way of uploading my multiple calls. But if you are saying that iNat will store them all and upload when I come back into service, that is fantastic! Thanks for your reply, @pisum, and letting me know the updated capabilities. EDIT: I have just attempted to record without internet directly into iNat. Seems I cannot find out how to do that. @pisum, can you post me your steps please? I cannot find a help file on it either. * * * Additionally, thanks for the Merlin suggestion, guys. I don’t have that app, but I might try next time. ---
**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 3:34am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/7 "2025-05-11T03:34:35Z")
> [@a\_teitzel](#): > > I have just attempted to record without internet directly into iNat. Seems I cannot find out how to do that. where exactly are you getting stuck? ---
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2025, 9:56pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/8 "2025-05-11T21:56:08Z")
I found a discussion about it on Reddit. 1. Add a photo. 2. Then, add more media, which will let you choose the microphone option. I was getting caught by not adding a photo first, so the app would not let me choose the microphone for recording. I have added screenshots here for others. When you choose the “New Observation” - Options as shown below ![1000030026](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/e/8/e8d809469e009227893de386f8722cb92ebf8bd1.png) To get to the recording option, you must first add any photo. ![1000030027](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/1/2/1259337697eb1b67c0467621d1c50c2948f0e9a5.png) ---
**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:08am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/9 "2025-05-12T01:08:06Z")
> [@a\_teitzel](#): > > To get to the recording option, you must first add any photo. this is not true in my version of the Android app. are you using an old version of the app? mine looks different from yours. in my app, these are the 5 options i have when i click the add button. the bottom left button will start an observation by recording audio: ![5 options when adding a new observation](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/d/9/d9dea71e107003ea635f5682960134a6956f071b.jpeg) in the Edit Observation screen, i also have a button in the bottom right of the screen to record audio: ![bottom right of Edit Observation screen has button to record audio](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/9/4/944a47306417807a007902bae06a5ca96223ca5f.png) ---
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:17am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/10 "2025-05-12T01:17:27Z")
Version 1.36.8 ![1000030028](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/e/2/e21e2029d2521df7a1bcfdbd3ab25eb6cd5164eb.png) ---
**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:25am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/11 "2025-05-12T01:25:34Z")
that’s the latest version, or at least the same version of the app as i have. do you see the same buttons as what i captured in my screenshots? ---
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:35am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/12 "2025-05-12T01:35:18Z")
No not at all ---
**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 1:45am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/13 "2025-05-12T01:45:23Z")
if you go to the Settings menu in the app, what do you have selected as your “Default Observation Action”? if it’s not “Show Options”, try setting it to that, and then try adding a new observation. hopefully that gives you the buttons that are shown in my screenshots above. ---
**Author:** ![a\_teitzel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/a_teitzel/32/56353_2.png) [@a\_teitzel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/a_teitzel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2025, 4:17am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/14 "2025-05-12T04:17:49Z")
That worked! Yes thank you I can see the options now. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2025, 4:18am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/android-audio-recording-app/64964/15 "2025-07-11T04:18:01Z")
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