Video & Image ConverterHow to Convert M4A to MP3 on iPhone
Updated · 2 min read
Voice Memos saves every recording as M4A, and so do many recorder apps and music stores. M4A sounds great and plays on Apple devices — but car stereos, older MP3 players, some Windows apps and upload forms still want MP3. Here's how to convert it on the phone in a few seconds.
M4A vs MP3
M4A is AAC audio in an MP4 container. It's more efficient than MP3: at the same file size, it sounds a little better. MP3 is older but plays on literally everything. Converting M4A to MP3 means encoding the sound again, so pick a sensible bitrate — going higher than the original's quality doesn't add any detail.
| Content | Suggested MP3 bitrate |
|---|---|
| Voice memos, lectures, podcasts | 64–128 kbps, mono |
| Music | 192–320 kbps, stereo |
How to get a recording out of Voice Memos
Open Voice Memos, tap the recording, then the ••• menu › Share. Pick Video & Image Converter in the share sheet to send it straight to the app, or choose Save to Files to keep a copy there.
How to convert M4A to MP3 on iPhone
- Get the app. Download Video & Image Converter — free to try, works offline.
- Pick the audio file from Files, or share it to the app from Voice Memos or any other app. You can select several files at once.
- Choose MP3 and, if you like, the bitrate, channels and sample rate.
- Convert and save the MP3 to Files, or share it right away.
Have a file to convert right now? It takes a few taps — and nothing is uploaded.
Download Free on the App StoreOther audio conversions
The same steps work for WAV, FLAC, AIFF and other audio files. Outputs include MP3, M4A, AAC, WAV, FLAC and OGG — so you can also go the other way, for example MP3 to M4A.