Learning center · Practical guide
How to record snoring on your phone
Try 30 seconds on your nightstand first. Record a sentence from your usual spot on the pillow, stop, and listen back. You’ll hear what the microphone picks up before deciding whether to record overnight.
Test from where you actually sleep
If you share a room, check that everyone who might be recorded is comfortable with it. A bedroom recording can pick up conversations. Look at where your recorder saves files and whether it backs them up to an account.
- Set your phone on a stable nightstand with the microphone clear of bedding. Disconnect earbuds if you want to use the phone’s microphone.
- Start recording, lie in your usual position, and say a short sentence at a normal volume. Leave a few seconds of room sound at the end.
- Stop and play it back. If all you hear is the fan or sheets brushing the phone, move the phone and try again.
On iPhone, use Voice Memos
Open Voice Memos and tap the red Record button. After your test, tap Stop. Select the saved recording in the list and tap Play.
If you decide to record at bedtime, start a fresh recording and check that the timer is moving. Stop it in the morning. If Voice Memos is enabled in iCloud, the recordings sync across devices signed in to the same Apple Account.
On Android, check which recorder you have
On a Google Pixel with Recorder, open the app and tap Record. When you’re finished, pause and save the recording. Open it from the list to listen. Recorder settings let you check whether Back up & sync is on.
On other Android phones, look for an app called Voice Recorder or Sound Recorder. If you plan to lock the screen overnight, try that during a short test. Say one sentence before locking the phone and another after the screen goes dark. Play the file back and listen for both before trying a longer session.
Write down where the sound occurs in the file
Check the file length first. If you hear a rough, repeating sound, jot down its position on the playback timer so you can find it again. If the recording ended early, mark the rest as missing. A gap leaves you with no audio evidence about your breathing during that time.
Sample entry from an imaginary nightPut your observation in the snoring diary →Twelve minutes into the recording, I heard three rough sounds and then the sheets moving. The file ends at 40 minutes. I have no audio from the rest of the night.
Choose what to keep after listening
If your note is all you need, you can delete the audio. In Voice Memos, select the recording and tap the trash icon. Open Recently Deleted if you want to erase it right away. On Pixel, touch and hold the recording in the list and choose Delete. If the recording is synced, deletion can also remove the synced copy.
A recording can help you describe what you heard. If someone has noticed repeated breathing pauses, or you often feel very sleepy during the day, bring that up with your primary care clinician even if you have no recording. Phone audio alone cannot diagnose or rule out sleep apnea.
Prepare for your appointment →Sources and device instructions
Apple and Google document recording, deletion, and sync for their devices. NHLBI describes symptoms to discuss with a clinician.