What Are Voice Notes Used For?
Voice notes are a powerful way to communicate with students, offering a more personal and engaging alternative to written feedback. You can use them to give instructions, annotate assignments, or participate in discussions.
You can add voice notes in:
Student assignments or documents (as feedback)
Assignment Materials
Class Discussions
Communities
Student assignment feeds
✍️ Standard users can record up to 1 minute. Showbie Pro users can record up to 30 minutes.
How to Create a Voice Note
In Materials, Class Discussions, or Communities
Navigate to the desired location.
Tap the plus (+) icon.
Select Voice Note.
Allow microphone access if prompted.
Tap the record button (red circle) to start recording.
Tap again to stop.
Tap Post (blue arrow) to upload.
On a Student Document (Annotation)
Open the class and assignment.
Select the student’s work.
Tap the Voice Note icon (chat bubble with a triangle).
Tap where you want to place the note.
Record your message.
Tap Save, then Done.
You can preview your recording before saving using the playback controls.
Editing/Previewing a Voice Note
Before posting, you can review and adjust your recording:
Tap Play or Pause to listen to your voice note
Use the progress bar to track the recording length and position
Tap Back to return to the beginning or Forward to skip to the end
To re-record your voice note:
Tap the record button to start again
Choose to:
Continue from the end (add to your recording), or
Start from the beginning (overwrite the recording)
When you’re finished, tap Post (blue arrow) to save your voice note.
Deleting a Voice Note
You can delete voice notes if they are no longer needed, were added by mistake, or need to be replaced with an updated recording. Voice notes can be removed from assignment materials, class discussions, communities, or directly within annotated documents.
From Assignment Materials, Class Discussions, or Communities
Navigate to the location where the voice note was posted.
Locate the voice note you want to delete.
On iPad:
Press and hold the voice note.
Tap Delete, then confirm if prompted.
On Web:
Hover over the voice note.
Click the ellipsis (… ) menu.
Select Delete, then confirm if prompted.
From a Document (Annotation)
If the voice note was added as an annotation on a document, follow these steps:
On iPad:
Open the document and locate the voice note.
Tap and hold the voice note.
Select Delete.
On Web:
Open the document and find the voice note annotation.
Right-click the voice note.
Click Delete.
🚨 Deleted voice notes are permanently removed and cannot be recovered.
Renaming a Voice Note
Renaming a voice note can help you keep recordings organised and make them easier to identify later - especially in busy assignments or discussions.
On iPad:
Locate the voice note you want to rename.
Tap and hold the voice note.
Select Rename.
Enter a new name.
Tap Done to save.
On Web:
Find the voice note.
Click the ellipsis (… ) next to it.
Select Rename.
Enter a new name.
Click Save.
✍️ Use clear, descriptive names (e.g. “Feedback on Essay Draft” or “Week 3 Instructions”) so you can quickly find the right recording later!
How to Pin a Voice Note in a Class Discussion
Teachers can pin voice notes to the top of the Class Discussion feed, so important messages are always available and played easily. To start, navigate to the preferred Class Discussion:
Find the voice note that you would like to pin.
To pin the voice note:
On the iOS app, tap and hold the voice note to reveal the pin option. Tap on it to pin the post.
In a web browser, look for the ellipsis icon (...) to the right of the post and then click on the Pin option.
💡 Some things to know:
Only teachers can pin posts
Multiple voice notes can be pinned
They appear in the order they were pinned
Playback Feature - Speed Control (iOS)
Teachers and students can speed up or slow down voice notes on the iOS app. This makes catching every detail or moving through content easier and more efficient. This feature works across Documents, Assignments, Class Discussions (wherever voice notes are used) and can help enhance the listening experience for teachers and students.
To adjust playback speed, click the playback speed icon on the right side of the playback controls and select the preferred playback speed from the options that appear.
Voice Note Transcription (iOS)
When enabled (via Showbie Labs), voice notes include automatic transcripts with timestamps. This allows users to:
Read along with audio
Quickly review key points
Reference feedback more easily
With the Voice Note Transcription feature enabled, look for the View Transcript option below the voice note's playback options. Tapping View Transcript will expand the voice note transcript to reveal its full text.
Allow Access to the Mic for Showbie on the iPad
Please be sure to allow access to the microphone! If you need to allow access, you can do so manually in your iPad’s settings:
Open your iPad's Settings app.
Scroll to the bottom of the settings list on the left and tap Apps.
Find and tap Showbie in the apps list.
Tap the slider next to the Microphone to toggle permissions on or off.
Troubleshooting Voice Notes
Trouble playing a voice note on the web?
If you see - 'Unsupported voice note format' - This means that your browser may not support the audio format. Try using one of the following supported browsers:
Microsoft Edge
Firefox (version 28+)
Chrome (version 22+)
Chrome for Android
Changing browser permissions to allow recording of voice notes
If you’re unable to record, your browser may not have permission to use your microphone.
If the browser you use for Showbie doesn’t allow Showbie to use your mic, you won’t be able to record voice notes. To fix this, you’ll have to give the Showbie web app access to your device’s mic. How you do this depends on which browser you’re using:
Chrome
Firefox
Chrome
Copy and paste chrome://settings/content/microphone into the address bar
Find Showbie in the list and click the X to remove the block on Showbie
Try recording a voice note in Showbie again, click Allow:
Now you’re ready to record voice notes in Chrome!
Firefox
Right-click anywhere in the Showbie web app and click View Page Info
In the window that opens, go to the Permissions tab
Uncheck the Use Default box for Microphone and instead select Allow
Now you’re ready to record voice notes in Firefox!
Allowing access to the Microphone on iOS
Starting from iOS 7, Apple requires you to enable microphone access to each app that uses the microphone feature. The first time you use the voice note or record a video in Showbie on iOS 7 and above, you will be prompted to allow Showbie to access your iPad microphone. Microphone access must be allowed in order to record voice notes.
Tap 'OK' to enable the microphone with Showbie and you should not have to repeat this step for any further voice notes or video creations.
If you accidentally tapped Don't Allow when prompted to enable your microphone with Showbie, you will need to go back into your Settings > Privacy > and enable microphone access with Showbie.
