How to record your voice from a phone

Find a quiet room

Close the door. Turn off the TV. If there's a fan or air conditioner running, turn it off for the recording — they show up loudly on phone microphones.

Best rooms in most houses: a bedroom, a closet (genuinely — soft surfaces make recordings sound better), or a small office. Avoid kitchens (echoey) and bathrooms with hard tile (echoey).

Open the right app on your phone

iPhone: Look for the app called Voice Memos. White icon with a red waveform. If you can't find it, swipe down on your home screen, type "voice memos" in the search bar.

Android: Look for an app called Recorder (Pixel) or Voice Recorder (Samsung, others). Microphone icon. Same trick: swipe down for search, type "recorder."

Don't have either? Email [email protected] and we'll point you at one that's free.

Hold the phone 6 to 12 inches from your mouth

Not pressed up against your face — that distorts. Not across the room — that gets thin. About a hand's width.

If you're sitting at a table, you can also lay the phone flat on the table and lean forward over it. Just as good.

Press record and read for about two minutes

Read anything. A recipe, a postcard, a book you have on hand, the back of a cereal box. The content doesn't matter — we're capturing your voice's sound, not the words you're saying.

Read at the pace you'd use telling a story. Not too fast, not too slow. Don't worry if you stumble over a word — keep going. Two minutes total is plenty.

If reading aloud feels stiff, try this: imagine you're reading to your grandchild and they're sitting on your lap. The voice we want is that one.

Press stop, save, and send it to us

The app will give you a chance to name the file. Anything is fine — your name, the date, "for the audiobook."

Then tap the share or send button (looks like a little box with an arrow pointing up). Email the file to [email protected], or attach it through our order form when you place the order.