Yes. An M4A voice memo can become a text with timestamps. Send the file to Potok in Telegram and you receive each line with its time in minutes and seconds. The stamps are close guides, not exact to the frame, so replay the spot you plan to quote and adjust by hand.
Get the text of your recording
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram, attach the recording and wait: the transcript arrives as a message in the same chat.
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram
Export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT · files up to 2 GB · about 30 languages · speakers and timestamps on request
In short
- Android lists .m4a as an MPEG-4 file type for AAC LC audio.
- The Library of Congress notes that M4A files contain only MPEG-4 audio, whereas .mp4 may also carry video.
- M4A is an MPEG-4 file, so time is counted in per-track timescale ticks.
- Send .m4a files up to 2 GB as they are: Potok decodes them without a separate conversion.
What a M4A file is
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Kind | Audio-only MPEG-4 file |
| File extensions | .m4a |
| What it holds | MPEG-4 audio, usually AAC, in an MPEG-4 container |
How to get timestamps for M4A files
- Hand the file to the bot. Find @potok_now_bot in Telegram and add your .m4a file as a message. The bot takes up to 2 GB; very long recordings are better uploaded with the mini app's Upload button.
- Mind this about the format. M4A is an MPEG-4 file, so time is counted in per-track timescale ticks.
- Switch on timestamps. Open the other-format options under the result, turn on timestamps (speaker labels can be added there too) and check three marks against the sound.
- Prepare this format. Send the .m4a as exported: Voice Memos saves .m4a by default, so no conversion is needed.
What time marks look like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Reminder to myself: book the train tickets tonight.
[00:12] Speaker 1: Also ask Anna about the apartment keys.
[00:31] Speaker 1: And buy a birthday present for dad.
[00:58] Speaker 1: Our flight to Lisbon was delayed, so we had dinner at the airport.
Lines written by us to show the layout. They are not output from a real M4A file.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Save as | TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT, VTT |
| Access | Telegram bot @potok_now_bot; large files go through the bot's mini app |
| Speakers | You can turn on speaker labels and timestamps |
| Languages | About 30 languages with good published results and a few more with warnings |
| Short digest | Press the summary button under a finished transcript for a short digest |
What to avoid with M4A
| What goes wrong | Effect | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Treating M4A time stamps as exact to the frame | Small offsets appear when you jump to a line | Start playback a few seconds before the stamp |
| Re-encoding the M4A to MP3 after the transcript | The new file can start slightly later, so times drift | Use the transcript with the same M4A you sent |
| Pasting the transcript without its stamps into notes | You lose the way back to each spot in the M4A | Keep the timestamp at the start of every line |
| Sending a voice memo recorded with the phone in a pocket | Rustling hides words and stamps point to noisy gaps | Hold the phone toward the speaker when recording |
Next steps
See the tools, the glossary and the download page for converters, explanations of terms and the apps.
Questions and answers
Can I send M4A files straight to Potok?
Yes. .m4a files up to 2 GB go to the bot as they are; there is no conversion step before recognition.
Do the time marks depend on the M4A format?
The marks point to a place in the recording so you can find it again. Check a few against the sound before you quote them.
Which apps and devices create M4A files?
Telegram sendAudio and sendVoice accept audio in M4A format (Telegram sendAudio / sendVoice input).
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- MPEG-4 file format, version 2 (Library of Congress), Library of Congress · checked
- Export a recording to Files (Voice Memos), Apple Support · checked
- Supported media formats, Android Developers · checked
Try it on your own recording
Open @potok_now_bot in Telegram, attach the recording and wait: the transcript arrives as a message in the same chat.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram