Where recordings are saved, and how to get them onto a computer or into the cloud
More people get stuck taking recordings off the device than making them. Here is where they are kept and how to move them.
Where files land
The Android app saves under the device's music folder. A file manager can see it directly, so copying and moving works without going through the app. The subfolder name and the file name prefix can both be changed in the settings.
The iOS app keeps files in the app's own folder, reachable from the Files app. The operating systems are designed differently, so the idea of "where things live" differs as well.
Three ways out
1. The share sheet
The shortest route. The share button in the library hands a recording straight to a mail, chat or cloud app. You can select several and share them together.
2. Export to a folder (SAF)
Pick a destination folder once and you can export in bulk to it. It uses Android's own mechanism (the Storage Access Framework), so a cloud app that supports it can be chosen as the destination. Point it at a Google Drive or Dropbox folder and exporting is all it takes to sync.
3. USB to a computer
Connect the device, choose "File transfer", and copy straight out of the music folder. For a lot of WAV files this is the fastest and most reliable option.
When a file seems to be missing
It does not appear in the file manager
The device's media index can lag behind. If the recording is listed inside the app, the file exists. Restarting rebuilds the index and often makes it appear.
Nothing shows up when I connect it to a computer
Choose "File transfer (MTP)" from the notification that appears when you plug in. Many devices default to charging only, and nothing is visible in that mode.
The person I shared with cannot play it
Check that you did not send a file that was still being recorded. Its data has not finished being written, and it will not play properly at the other end.
Freeing up space
Once a recording is transcribed, keeping the text and moving the audio off works well. Text takes almost no space, while a long WAV session adds several hundred MB per hour.
Always confirm that an export really finished before deleting anything. With some cloud apps, removing the original before the sync completes loses the file.