Lectures move faster than anyone can write.
You’re still copying the last slide when the lecturer explains the part that matters. Weeks later, your notes say “ask about this??” and nothing else.
Here’s a simple way to record a lecture on your iPhone while taking notes, so you can return to the explanation behind each line.
Before the lecture
Start a note. Add the module name and date, so it’s easy to find when it’s time to revise.
Find a good spot. Sit near the front if you can, away from doors and other sources of noise. Place your iPhone flat on the desk, with the microphone facing the lecturer.
Adjust the time tag offset. You often start typing just after the lecturer has finished speaking. In Settings › Record & Playback, set a Time tag offset of a few seconds. This moves each line’s timestamp slightly earlier, so playback starts closer to the beginning of the explanation. Learn more about the offset.
During the lecture
1. Start recording.
When Noted asks “Transcribe live as you record?”, tap Start to see the lecture transcribed as it’s spoken. Keep Noted open while it transcribes. Live transcription requires iOS 26 or later.
2. Type what you’d otherwise miss.
Note key terms, formulas or reminders like “this links to week 3”. A few words are enough. Each line you type gets a timestamp, so even a quick “??” gives you a way back to that moment.
3. Tag what will matter later.
Type # followed by a word, such as #exam or #reading. The Tags tab brings together tags from all your notes, so when it’s time to revise, you can find every #exam moment from the term. How tags work.
4. Add a photo of the board.
Add a photo of a slide or the whiteboard to the same note, alongside the notes you wrote about it.
After the lecture
1. Fill the gaps.
Tap the timestamp beside a line and the recording jumps to that point. Press play to hear it. Use it on the parts you rushed, such as a formula you only partly copied or a name you didn’t catch.
2. Highlight what you still don’t understand.
Select a line, tap Aa, then choose the highlighter. Highlighting doesn’t change the line’s link to the recording, so your highlights become a list of explanations to hear again. Learn how to highlight.
3. Skip the quiet parts.
Turn on Skip Silence in Settings › Record & Playback to skip quiet stretches in the recording, such as pauses while the lecturer writes on the board. Slow down playback for difficult sections, or speed it up for parts you already know. Learn more about playback speed.
4. Get a summary to revise from.
Tap ✨ and choose Summarize Note. Each point includes a timestamp, so if something looks unclear or incomplete, tap its time to go to that part of the recording and hear the lecturer’s original explanation.
Why it works
You can focus on the lecture instead of copying everything down word for word.
Your notes capture what you thought mattered. The recording keeps everything else. And when a note makes no sense a month later, you can hear the explanation again in your lecturer’s own words.
Get Noted on the App Store.
Stay focused on the lecture. Let Noted keep the recording.