Doesn’t iPhone have built-in transcription?

Voice Memos does. Photos (for video) doesn’t. That’s why you route through Drive.

What file sizes work?

As long as Drive accepts it (effectively no limit for most users), we can transcribe it.

Can I use iCloud Drive instead of Google Drive?

Usually no — iCloud public links gate heavily and often require an Apple ID to open. Google Drive’s “Anyone with the link” is more reliable.

Dropbox works. Share a public link with “Can view” access and paste on TranscriptX.

How to Transcribe a Video on Your iPhone (Without an App)

Updated 24 Apr 2026 · TranscriptX editorial

Quick answer: Open the video in Photos, tap Share → Save to Files or Drive, upload to Google Drive with a public link, paste the link on TranscriptX. No app install.

iPhone records great video and gives you zero built-in options for transcribing it. The workaround is quick.

The 60-second answer

Video in Photos → Share → Save to Files (or Drive app) → upload to Google Drive → public link → paste on TranscriptX.

Step-by-step

1) Open the video in Photos

Tap the video → Share (bottom-left).

2) Save to Files or Drive

Scroll the share sheet → tap Save to Files, or tap the Drive app. Drive is faster if you have it.

3) In Drive, make the link public

Long-press the file → Share → Anyone with the link → Copy link.

[Screenshot: Drive iOS Share dialog with Anyone with the link selected]

4) Paste on TranscriptX

Open Safari → transcriptx.xyz → paste → Transcribe.

Common things that break

Drive link Restricted. Flip to Anyone with the link.
iCloud share link. iCloud often gates past non-Apple browsers. Use Google Drive.
Huge video (multi-GB). Upload time is the bottleneck. Let Drive finish syncing first.
HEIC or oddball codec. Standard iPhone .mov files work. Unusual re-encodes sometimes don’t.

Related guides

Try it

3 free transcripts a month. Paste your Drive link from your iPhone.

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