How to Preserve a Loved One's Voice

The way to preserve a loved one's voice is to do two things: save the recordings you already have before an app or phone loses them, and record new ones while you still can. Then keep at least two copies in different places. It doesn't take special equipment, just a phone and an afternoon.

People often think about this after a scare or a loss, so if that's where you are, take it gently. Even one saved voicemail is worth the effort.

Why is it worth preserving someone's voice?

Because voices are easy to lose and hard to remember exactly. Photos are everywhere, but most of us have only a handful of recordings of the people we love, scattered across voicemail, chat apps and old phones. Voicemail inboxes fill up, chat apps auto-delete, and phones get traded in. A deliberate copy is what keeps a laugh or a "hey, sweetheart" around for good.

Where do I find recordings of my loved one's voice?

Start by searching everywhere they might be hiding. Check:

• Voicemail: your phone's voicemail inbox, including old messages you never deleted.
• Voice notes: WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, Messenger, Telegram, Snapchat.
• Videos: your camera roll, shared albums and family group chats. Videos often have the best audio of someone just being themselves.
• Old phones: that drawer of retired phones may still have voicemails and memos on it. Charge them up before anything else.
• Family members: ask siblings, cousins and friends to look through their phones too.
• Old media: cassette tapes, camcorder tapes, answering machine tapes.

How do I save voicemails and voice notes from my phone?

Export them out of the app as actual audio files. On iPhone, Visual Voicemail lets you open Phone > Voicemail, tap the message, tap the Share button and choose Save to Files or Voice Memos. Messaging apps each have their own export steps (usually long-press the voice note, then Share or Save). For voicemails specifically, see:

• How to save a voicemail from a loved one who passed away

One important tip: don't cancel a phone line or delete an account belonging to someone who has died until you've checked for voicemails and voice notes. Some voicemails live on the carrier's servers, not on the phone, and can disappear when the line is closed.

How can I record a loved one's voice while they're still here?

Just start. A recording doesn't need to be a formal interview to matter. Some easy ways in:

• Ask for stories. "How did you and Grandma meet?" or "What was your first job?" Have a few questions written down in case you freeze up.
• Record everyday moments. Them singing in the kitchen, saying grace, telling the same joke for the 40th time.
• Ask for something specific. Them saying your name, "I love you," or a phrase only they say. These short clips are often the ones people treasure most.
• Record calls, with their knowledge. Tell them you'd love to keep their voice.

For better sound, use a quiet room, put the phone on a table close to them, and turn your recorder to its highest quality setting. Our guide to recording someone's voice on your phone has the full setup, and how to record your grandparents' stories goes deeper on longer conversations.

How do I digitize old cassette or answering machine tapes?

Transfer them to digital files as soon as you can, because magnetic tape degrades over time. You have two main options:

1. Do it yourself: USB cassette players that plug into a computer are inexpensive and save tapes as audio files. A borrowed tape deck connected to a computer's audio input works too.
2. Use a service: Many photo and media digitization services handle audio tapes, which is worth it for fragile or one-of-a-kind recordings.

Play the tape all the way through only once you're ready to capture it, in case it's brittle.

How should I store recordings so they last?

Keep at least two copies, in different places. The Library of Congress's personal archiving guide for audio recommends exactly that: two or more copies on separate storage, kept as far apart as practical, refreshed every few years.

A simple setup that works for most families:

1. One copy on your computer or an external drive.
2. One copy in a cloud drive like iCloud Drive, Google Drive or Dropbox.
3. Bonus copy with a sibling or parent, so it's not all on you.

The Library of Congress also suggests keeping the highest-quality version of each recording and giving files descriptive names. "Grandpa-singing-happy-birthday-2019.m4a" will mean something in 20 years. "Audio_0423.m4a" won't.

What format should I save voice recordings in?

Keep the original file exactly as you exported it, in whatever format it came in. Common, widely supported formats like .m4a, .mp3 and .wav are safe bets for long-term listening. If a voice note came in a less common format like .opus, keep the original and make a copy in MP3 too. Here's how to convert Opus to MP3 without uploading private recordings anywhere.

How do I share a loved one's voice with family?

Put the recordings in a shared folder, like a shared iCloud Drive or Google Drive folder, and send everyone the link. Siblings and cousins often have recordings you've never heard, so ask them to add theirs. Some families play a favorite clip at a memorial or anniversary, or tuck one into a family time capsule.

Where can I keep their voice close every day?

Files in a folder are great for safekeeping, but they're not something you open on a hard day. Many people want the voice somewhere they can actually hear it, quickly.

That's part of why we're building Tucket. When it launches on iPhone and Android, you'll be able to give each person their own pocket, save the voice notes they sent you or record new sounds into it, and see their photo with every clip. You can share a pocket with family and fill it together, and it stays private to the people you share it with. Learn more for families. Keep your backups too; Tucket is for keeping their voice close, not for replacing your copies.