The Sound Recorder app in Windows 10 for phones is minimal, but effective

By Richard Devine
last updated

Sometimes it's the simplest apps that we use and love the most. This one, Sound Recorder, in Windows 10 for phones, fits into that category. For those of us that take voice notes often, it's a daily staple that has to be there. Just as with a Calculator app, or an Alarm clock, and so on.

The Sound Recorder Windows 10 app is minimal in styling, but still mighty effective with some good features at the same time. Here's a quick first look.

We'll never turn our noses up at built in functionality, and this app is a great example of that. The styling is in keeping with some other areas of the new look for mobile, and in similar fashion to the Calculator it's got smaller fonts and will bring in your chosen accent color. We're not going to dwell on the styling too much, as it could still change, but it looks pretty nice. Or as nice as an app like this really needs to be, at least.

Perhaps nicest of all is that the app will let you trim your audio clips after you've recorded them. It's a pretty basic feature, allowing you to either trim the beginning, the end or both, but it's still useful to have around. You're not going to be recording podcasts with it, but it'll trim the fat off your voice notes just fine. Another pretty useful little tool is being able to add flags to represent important time stamps.

So, while simple, it's clear Microsoft at least put some good thought into making it as functional as basic users would want. Check out a few screenshots of it below.

Sound Recorder

Sound Recorder

Richard Devine
Richard Devine
Managing Editor - Tech, Reviews

Richard Devine is a Managing Editor at Windows Central with over a decade of experience. A former Project Manager and long-term tech addict, he joined Mobile Nations in 2011 and has been found on Android Central and iMore as well as Windows Central. Currently, you'll find him steering the site's coverage of all manner of PC hardware and reviews. Find him on Mastodon at mstdn.social/@richdevine

121 Comments
  • It crushes often when you are recording, but its a beautiful minimal app
  • Well...it is a preview.
  • Is that really justifiable though? It's an audio recording app, it's not like they're reinventing the wheel here. ​I feel like people pull the "preview" card too often. There are certain things that, just because the OS itself is a preview, doesn't mean things in it can't be finalised, this is one of those things, it does one task, a task that has been more than capable in other avenues for umpteen decades. The fact that it crashes doing the sole task it is designed to do, is just plain lazy.
  • The problem in and of itself might not be the application.  It is possible that the OS is causing the crash.  So yes, "preview" is a justifiable excuse.
  • I'll admit, I didn't think of that. In my defense I did only just wake up though.
  • Agreed, it really is a nice experience and I'm surprised that no third party apps manage to come close in terms of ease of use and polish (obviously apart from the crashing which will be fixed).
  • Try Mini Recorder :)
  • +920
  • That's because Microsoft has all the APIs so they can do whatever they want
  • You don't need APIs to make a nice UI.
  • Try sound recorder
  • App http://www.windowsphone.com/s?appid=3afb6a29-986d-40be-8d08-e77b1d0ee6f1
  • Tried RecordSpot? It is so close to that!
  • Yeah, it crushes your phone to dust. It's so badass.
  • Just make sure you are reporting any issues, or ideas, back to MS within the preview.
  • I hope MS will put a note feature in the voice recording app because sometimes i need to see scripts while I'm recording. Just a suggestion.
  • is it call recorder or regular voice recorder app? or an app with both features?
  • No call recording - from what I have read most apps will stay away from this due to legal considerations regarding the fact that recording phone calls without disclosure is illegal in certain places.
  • Check out the TP on 520. XDA.
  • No.
  • I have a very successful install on a 925. Decided to take the plunge yesterday. Don't recommend it unless you're very comfortable starting fresh with factory 8.1 if it goes south, but I had no issues even on 1st gen W8 hardware.
  • Sound interesting. Didn't know you could. Could you provide the link to the tutorial please. My old 920 deserves a new life.
  • Unfortunately, l530 cant update yet. When trying to install the update, it fails at gears and reboot itself, showing a message: "Update failed" and give me some error code
  • Please show us the new xbox music and video app of windows 10 for phones
  • How? There aren't any.
  • Joe belfiore told in the video that music and video app in windows 10 are totally overhauled.
  • Not yet in the current build.
  • They haven't been fully developed to launch yet for beta testing. Development takes time.
  • What you can do now is to watch Joe's video on w10 for phones. It shows the new music app in action which will come in later builds.
  • Cool, I'll be able to delete my current recording app.
  • Does it work when the phone is on standby/locked? Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • nope
  • Hope they add it
  • That's probably coming in later builds, since developers can already implement it in 8.1.
  • In which format does it save the voice recording?
  • It would probably be .wma like on windows, but there may be an option to change to .mp3
  • Or *.wav* maybe
  • Microsoft doing it right, i can't wait to see what the feedbacks will bring in the next update.
    W10 for the win.
  • FTW10!
  • Yep, seems like 10 has some good additions so far... I can't wait to see what future builds bring.... Then what the BIG test build brings.. I know that's planned..
  • Auto upload to OneDrive?
  • My phone doesn't share anything to anything at the moment. Mad bugs. But I don't see any options to do that. Not to say it won't become a thing if people feedback in the correct manner.
  • OMFG MICROSOFT YOU DISAPPOINT US AGAIN, WTF U GIVE US SOMETHING WITH SO MANY MISSING FEATURES, WE ARE CRYING AND U NOT HEAR US IM SWITCH TO IPHONE
  • That'll work. :-/
  • Are you serious? LOL
  • thanks for totally missing the point. the community is better without those who think like you
  • Exactly. Sad but true.
  • Bye bye baby
  • Wtf, kid? Ever heard of technical preview? Also, turn off the cap lock before I holla back. ;-)
  • I think he was joking/trolling.
  • I think one of your younger relatives snatched your phone and spammed a lot of people.
  • Forgot to take your Xanax?
  • What the abdolute fuq?!
  • Lol trolling. :D
  • Microsoft putting devs out of business
  • If "develop a sound recorder app for WP and rake in the millions" was someone's business plan, well...nevermind
  • 1). Good. They should have supported from the start. 2). if you think about it, they have always built in the kinds of functionality that other OS's need apps for.
  • Is it accent color? Many of the new ones sent like photos and settings
  • You will find that information in the post.
  • Sorry! I guess I skiped a few sentences
  • Am I the only one who thinks it looks a bit like Cortana? :P
  • Yeap.
  • Loving Windows 10 all the way...
  • Does it record on background?
  • no, it doesn't
  • Just needs one drive upload
  • I'm trying to figure out why the stop button is solid white while the play and pause buttons aren't.
  • Stop is activated
  • Can you trim the middle if you need to as well? Or basically any time point?
  • might pick up a 635. Is the windows 10 TP running ok on it?
  • It's not perfect, but it isn't bad either.
  • Not finding it on my phone? Is there a hardware limitation? L635
  • Does it supports the in call recording?? Otherwise its quite useless I think... After all it's been years but still no call recording!!!
  • WP7 had a functioning call recording app.
  • Who cares now??
  • No OS has call recording it is a law thing, third party apps probably but major companies aren't going to build it in
  • Does it record phone calls!?
  • Not yet got any report about that...
  • I prefer just using Cortana to "Take a note" and put it in OneNote on its own. But nice to know there's another separate option. :)
  • Hopping that Microsoft adds ability to pin OneNote record button to Start like Evernote does also to save location of where it was originally recorded.
  • I get that this was necessary because a lot of people didn't know about OneNote audio recording.  That being said, this should still act as a frontend to OneNote, in my opinion.  Similar to how Office Lens works, there should be an option to automatically upload this to a page in OneNote once you're done recording it, in my opinion.  That way, you bring in people who see the option and then decide to try it out. And maybe there sould also be another option to automatically upload to your OneDrive storage as a standalone MP3.
  • Yep, this was so confusing when I was a new user of WP7, the lack of an obvious voice recorder function was so annoying at the time (in my work I use it a lot). To me it was very strange the necessity of download an app for a function that in my previous phones was always present in the form of a little microphone icon. So, I think this Sound Recorder is a nice and welcome addition to W10, especially for new users.
  • I'm curious to see how it looks on light theme
  • Saving it to OneDrive? Saving out to my library?
  • Looks the same as the windows 10 one. I think it would have a bit more umph if pitch and speed controls were added in the playback and editing sections.
  • Still no call recorder,why it's like this
  • That's for privacy and security reasons. I don't think even Nexus devices enable call recording. Its illegal in some countries.
  • Finally, recorder apps in Windows phone sucks. That's a basic functionality that would be present since the very first version of Windows Phone.
  • Try Mini Recorder! Awesome, modern design. Rich functionality (share to OneDrive, Dropbox, ...)
  • Minimal design better design
  • Agreed.
  • Dude..
  • "Less is more"
  • I ll just record my voice, hear it only to hate it and instead delete the app !!
  • I hate my voice too and do the same thing.
  • Hahaha omg
    Ahhaha
    Me too
  • Good to finally see an native recording app, it would be ideal for the recordings to also record location of where they were recorded.
  • I use Perfect Recorder. Clean, fast and useful.
  • Now we just need a flashlight app
  • Is there any news about a built-in flashlight on Windows 10?
  • Need windows phone 10 for 1320....more then I need water..
  • I really don't like the hollow icons. I think I could accept them on an app bar like in the Photos app, but not here.   I also can't quite understand why the time is so small. There's a lot of dead space. That could easily change of course, but you'd expect something as simple as font size to be sorted out from the beginning. 
  • Yes! Sounds great (pun completely intended)!
  • As long as we can record and save clips where we like, that'll be fine with me
  • Nice.  Glad they are putting this feature in.  I was surprised it wasnt in WP8, but definitely will put it to goog use when Win10 for phones is available.
  • Can we share the record??
  • Does it record in background?
    I mean while other apps are running ?
  • Every app should be like this, beautiful, minimal, useful, nor hamburger button, looks like WP.... text is still small but, well, what can we do?
  • How long can it record for?
  • I'd like them to do something different with their recording app, these things are always so basic. Implement pitch shift, accent modifier, reverse audio features, and other crazy stuff like that. Make audio the new "filter lovers" dream.
  • VST Plugin support would nice, but that is just wishful thinking :P.
  • what is the quality of recording? does it support lock screen recording or background recording?
  • At last will get a sound recorder which is useful for take notes and so on, my only question is why we had to wait for so long for this if even basic phones with keypad, no internet and an tiny display already had a sound and call recorder?
  • Cal recorder please
  • Call recorder won't come??
  • I'm more wondering about sound quality. I'd like full range recording (44.1 khz) which was never available afaik. Our does anyone know such a recorder?
  • Please show me how the win10 camera look like and how fast it is ​
  • What about music app?
  • How about recording calls? Is that supported in W10?
  • I just can't wait to get this baby running on my Lumia 520.... Comment if you agree :D
  • I once delivered feedback to Microsoft that it would be great if we could have built-in recording feature in "calling". So we can use it to record a phone call conversation. This feature would be really useful.