About MOV files
MOV is Apple's QuickTime container — iPhones, Macs and many cameras record in it, sometimes with HEVC (H.265) video.
Common sources: iPhone and iPad recordings, QuickTime screen recordings on Mac, Final Cut Pro exports, mirrorless cameras.
Safari and recent Chrome versions read most MOV files. If your browser can't open a particular MOV (some HEVC recordings on older systems), re-export it as MP4.
MOV to text
Long iPhone recordings can be several gigabytes; that's fine — only the audio is extracted and sent, not the video.
A teacher records a 32-minute lesson on an iPhone and turns the MOV into a transcript for students who were absent.
Cost: 32 credits (3.2¢).
Translating a MOV
The translated result is saved as MP4, which plays everywhere — including the platforms that dislike MOV uploads.
A travel creator translates a 4-minute iPhone MOV into Spanish and gets back an MP4 ready to post.
Cost: 200 credits (20¢) with a translated voice, or 5 credits (0.5¢) for translated text only. Switch Full translation output on in the tool above for a voice track.
Why MOV files behave differently from MP4
MOV and MP4 share an ancestor (MP4 was based on Apple's QuickTime format), so the inside looks similar: tracks of video, audio and sometimes timecode or metadata. The difference is what Apple devices put in them. An iPhone set to High Efficiency records HEVC video, and recent models can add Dolby Vision HDR. A Mac screen recording uses H.264. Final Cut Pro and many cameras write Apple ProRes, a large editing codec that MP4 files don't normally carry. A transcript barely notices any of this, because only the sound is read, and in a MOV that's almost always AAC or uncompressed PCM. A dub is different: the video codec decides which file you get back. MP4 vs MOV compares the two containers in full.
Getting the original file off an iPhone or Mac
How you move the file changes what you receive. AirDrop to a Mac, and Export Unmodified Original in the Photos app, both keep the MOV exactly as recorded. Copying to a Windows PC over USB may give you a converted file, depending on Settings → Photos → Transfer to Mac or PC: Automatic converts, Keep Originals doesn't. If iCloud Photos is set to Optimize Storage, the phone may hold only a small preview until you download the full version.
For future recordings, Settings → Camera → Formats decides the codec: Most Compatible records H.264 and High Efficiency records HEVC. Both transcribe the same way. Most Compatible simply avoids playback trouble on older Windows machines and browsers, which is worth choosing if you'll also share the raw file.
Silent screen recordings
A common surprise is a Mac screen recording that's silent or half-silent. The screenshot toolbar (Shift-Command-5) records a microphone only when one is chosen under Options, and capturing system sound (the other side of a call, a video playing in a browser) depends on your macOS version and on any audio-routing tool you use. Play the recording back on headphones before uploading. If only your voice is there, the transcript will hold only your side of the conversation. Screen recording audio settings explains the setup on macOS and Windows.
iPhone and iPad screen recordings capture app sound by default but not your voice: long-press the record button in Control Center and switch the microphone on before you start narrating.
ProRes, HEVC and multitrack exports in dub mode
In dub mode the translated video is assembled in your browser by putting your original picture beside the new audio track: the translated voice over your original background. HEVC and H.264 both fit inside MP4, so most iPhone footage comes back as MP4. When the video codec can't go in an MP4, the download is an MKV instead, and a ProRes master from Final Cut or a cinema camera is the kind of file where you should expect that. MKV plays in VLC and most desktop players, but some editors and upload forms reject it, so if you need MP4 at the end, export an H.264 or HEVC version before translating. It's also far smaller to open.
Final Cut Pro can also export roles as a multitrack QuickTime movie, with dialogue, music and effects on separate audio tracks. Only one track is used, so for transcription export a single mix, or better, the dialogue role alone: with no music underneath, recognition has less to fight through.
A lecture filmed on an iPhone
A 90-minute lecture shot on an iPhone in HEVC costs 90 credits (9¢) for a transcript, timestamps and an SRT for the department archive. Dubbing the 12-minute introduction into Spanish for a partner university costs 600 credits (60¢) and returns an MP4, because HEVC fits that container.
Classroom recordings have their own workflow on the lecture transcription page. If you need to change containers anyway, converting video formats explains remuxing without quality loss, and the MP4 page covers meeting and editor exports.
Using the tool on this page
- The spoken language is detected automatically; you select the output language — the spoken language itself for an untranslated transcript, or another language for a translation. Files can be up to 2 hours long.
- Only the audio is sent for processing — the video stays on your device — and audio and text are deleted within 30 minutes of delivery (how files are protected).
- You can download a timestamped transcript, subtitles (SRT and VTT) and plain text. Every output, step and limit is explained on the video to text page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transcribe a MOV from my iPhone directly?
Yes. Open the page in Safari or Chrome on your Mac or iPhone and choose the MOV. Very long videos on a phone may be slow to read, so a computer is more comfortable for files near the 2-hour limit.
Will the translated video stay in MOV format?
No — the translated video is saved as MP4, which is more widely supported. The picture is the same as your original.
Does it matter that my iPhone video is HDR?
Not for the transcript, which only uses the sound. In a dub the original picture is kept, so it looks the way the HDR original looks on a given player and screen.
My camera recorded the MOV but a separate recorder captured better sound. Which should I use?
For a transcript, upload the recorder file if it's cleaner; the camera's built-in microphone is usually the weaker source. For a dub you need the picture, so sync the recorder audio to the video in your editor and export a MOV or MP4 with that sound as its only track.
My camera MOV has a timecode track. Will the transcript use it?
Transcript and subtitle times count from the first frame of the file at 0:00, not from the camera's timecode. If your edit timeline starts at 01:00:00:00, or the clip was one of several, add the clip's start time when you match lines to the edit.