Voice activated recording devices are readily gaining popularity and witnessing a major boom in the market. Here is a comprehensive overview of the voice activated recorder. Let’s quickly take a look at what you will learn in this article.
Here we will discuss the benefits of voice activated recording device. We will also use potential and legal fields where you can use such a device. And finally we will mention a few of such voice activated recording devices that you may take a note of while buying a device.
- ✅Unique and Practical Design – we designed the world’s thinnest Voice Activated Recorder just to be sure that it will fit anywhere and anytime in your daily routine. The TileRec Dictaphone fits easily in your wallet, your...
- ✅Let’s talk numbers – this 1.6 inches perfectly square shaped recorder, with only 1/4 inches thickness, offers you 24 hours battery life and 145 hours Recording Capacity. Time for a full recharge: only 2 hours. Enjoy 128...
- ✅Voice Activation Sensor – for a better way to shuffle thru the daily recordings and just to be sure that no word is missing. TileRec can also be used in to record Interviews, Conferences or Meetings when the device is set to...
- 🌟PROFESSIONAL HIGH-CAPACITY VOICE RECORDER – With 5000 mAh battery capacity, PoweRec has the biggest rechargeable battery from all recorders available on the market. That’s why you will have up to 15 days‼️ of recording...
- 🔊SMART VOICE SENSOR - Initiate voice-activation recording mode and place the device where you need it. The 2 sensitive microphones will capture all sounds in 15 feet range (45dB) and will pause during silent periods, saving you...
- 📲EASY PLAYBACK - Unlike many other voice recorders which requires additional software to install, the PoweREC voice recorder is plug & play. It creates MP3 audio files which you will be able to playback on every personal...
Why Voice-Activated Recorders?
Here are a few situations where you can use a voice activated recorders as well as their benefits.
They’re Fun!
If you were a fan of blockbusters over the last couple decades, then you’ve probably seen a movie where the bad guy was ultimately held accountable because they were secretly spied on and/or recorded.
For us, it was the movie Home Alone. After seeing that we wanted a Talkboy so bad but ended up with a smaller, but equally fun version called a Yak Bak.
Don’t Have to Be Present/Deniability
The best benefit of a voice activated recorder is that it imparts you a greater independence.
For instance, suppose you cannot attend any event or missed a class. You can easily record the lecture or speech in such a device and listen to it anytime you want. So you need not necessarily be present to attend any speech or important class.
The first and foremost audience to be benefitted of such a device is the students. They may miss a class or lose an attendance but not the class note. This also comes in handy just before examination. They have all the notes ready in their device. All it takes is to simply hit the play button and learn everything.
Not only the students, but professionals can also get proper benefits from such a device. If they fail to attend any speech or meeting, they can simply get the gist of the sessions from the record.
Be it the journalists, or the IT or government professionals, voice activated recorders make everyone’s life easier!
Leave & Retrieve Discreetly
One of the best features of this device is that you don’t have to sit around it while it records the entire session or meeting or class note.
Suppose a student has to visit the washroom, or a professional person has to attend a call, they can simply place the recorder on and execute their tasks. The voice activated recorder will capture all the audio clips and save these into the system for future usage.
Minimal Battery Consumption
If you are thinking that you have to buy a voice activated recorder time and again or change its battery repeatedly due to daily usage, and then you are wrong. The fact is, such a device doesn’t use its battery when it is not in use. That way it does not contribute in draining the battery life.
Even if you keep the device in the on mode, it will not drain the device’s battery. It will only use the battery once anyone speaks and the recorder is actually activated to capture the recording.
So you don’t have to spend bucks in buying battery every time or recharge it time and again. If you invest in a good quality voice activated recorder, it can run for a longer duration for a one-time recharge or purchase a quality branded battery.
Best option for covert surveillance – This device is amazing for audio bugging or covert surveillance. People on a secret mission, spies or army people can easily use this device to spy on others. You can install it inside your dress and attend a secret meeting.
Make sure that the device doesn’t get detected in a metal detector. You may have to make some internal management with the conspirators in the opposing force to get into the meeting.
Once there, simply turn on the button and the device will record the entire meeting. You won’t be caught in suspicion of a spy as you don’t have to conduct any movement. You may not have to attend the meeting even. Simply install the camera on any chair or wall. It will automatically record the entire meeting and you will get all the information right from your home or office.
But you need to ensure that the device is of high quality and a professional one that can capture all the voices from the surroundings. Otherwise you may not capture all the data stored into it.

Things to Look for When Buying
There are a lot of different types of recorders designed for specific applications. For example there are high fidelity recorders used for education, legal, and production purposes, but these usually sacrifice size for quality.
There are also very small microphones for interviews, production and personal use, but these are usually manually activated.
In terms of discreet recording, that is a unique segment in the market with unique requirements (small form factor, high fidelity, battery conservation).
Microphone Quality
If you are purchasing a voice activated recorder, you need to ensure the quality of the microphone. This is of paramount importance. You can get a lot of fake branded products in the market at a cheap rate.
It’s better not to get allured by these as you won’t have anything to complaint if the quality is compromised. You better invest on a good quality microphone that can capture any voices from around the corner.
Also, ensure that the device is noise free. Otherwise, the microphone will capture the noise of the surroundings and you cannot extract any information from such a device.
Memory/Storage Capacity
This is a crucial concern that you should keep an eye on while buying a voice activated recorder. If you record any meeting or conference, you need to ensure that the recorder has enough storage capacity to save all the data.
Otherwise there’s a chance that the recorder will stop working midway or previous data gets overwritten. That way you won’t be able to derive all the adequate information. So it’s better to learn about the memory or storage capacity of the device.
Also, the latest devices are equipped with a feature that allows you to include an external memory card to extend the memory of the device. If you are using such a voice activated recorder for any spying mission, you need to ensure that it has adequate storage.
On the other hand, if you are using the device for recording day to day class note and taking the information into a different storage every day, you don’t need a memory card or profuse storage.
Battery Life/Charging Methods
Before buying a device, learn how long it will run on a single battery purchase. Check to see if the battery is built-in or swappable, alkaline or lithium-ion, and does it charge via USB, USB-C, or other proprietary charging technologies?
Also learn how frequently you have to charge the battery to keep it running. Not necessary to mention that a device with longer battery life or relatively less charging requirement is the best purchase.
Legality of Discreet Recording
Before you start recording people without their knowledge it’s first important to understand if it’s even legal. Making sure you follow the law is the most important first step when considering recording devices.
When you can and can’t record
There is indeed a recording legality as to when you can record and where not. If you are a professional, you must read this passage very carefully. If you interviewing anyone and he or she says off record, you must turn the device off and don’t reveal the information directly. It’s indeed important to record other’s privacy and you shouldn’t record anyone’s private chat.
On the other hand, if you are a student you can always seek advantage from such a device. If you missed a class, you don’t have to lag behind. Simply keep the recorder on and it will record the professors’ lectures.
Also, if you are on a secret mission for your country and your government allows it, you may hide it and record any secret meeting. But in that case the full responsibility of hiding the device lies with you.
At home vs at work
You can always record any television show or anyone’s funny activity while at home. But it’s not ideal to drain your battery life in recording anything at home that is not urgent.
However, at work you require this more. Suppose you have attended a meeting. You can always keep a track of all the work or the boss’s ideas in the device and execute according to the plan.
Best Selling Compact Voice Activated Recorders of 2020
We scoured forums, tech blogs and online reviews to find the most popular and best-selling options when it comes to small, compact, easily hide-able recording solutions.
Attodigit@l Mini USB-Powered Voice Recorder
USB-driven recorders are some of the best because they appear to be regular storage devices, but the Attodigit@l is one of the best with it’s dual purpose of recording and being a functional storage device.
- 💯 UNIQUE DESIGN – LightREC is probably the only Voice Activated Recorder designed as an USB flash drive that has a smart dual connector, with both USB 2.0 and micro-USB plug. Playback your audio recordings, either on your...
- 🕵🏻♀️ LIGHT as a FEATHER & EASY to USE- Measuring only 2,75 x 0,78 x 0,27 inch and weighting 0.35 oz, LightRec is a very intuitive, one-key operation device, that can be used by everyone. Simply press the “Mode”...
- 🎧 TAKE AUDIO RECORDING TO THE NEXT LEVEL - The UPGRADED sound sensor enables crystal clear audio recording. In the voice-activated Mode, the SMART microphone initiates only if noise is detected in its range, thus skipping the...
Key Features
- This is one of the lightest and tiniest voice recording device. It has a functional 8 GB flash drive where you can store documents and recordings.
- This is the best for the professionals and it as intelligent noise reduction that allows you to capture audio from a distance without any hassle.
- It has 30 hours of battery life
- This is of course portable and the best feature is that you can hide it anywhere and everywhere/
- It doesn’t blink while in any operation or make any sound so you can easily hide it/
- This has a compact and discreet design.
- It has two types of USB integrated and it is compatible with various OS systems like MacOS, Windows, and Android. So you can transfer the data to any device.
- It has an easy user interface. All you need is to simply slide the switch and the recorder will start to record instantly.
Pros
- It has a 30 hours of battery life.
- The lightweight device has a slim design that is very easy to hide. It doesn’t blink or make any sound so you can rest assured of its discreetness.
- This is the best for the professionals and it has intelligent noise reduction that allows you to capture audio from a distance.
- It has a pretty easy user interface. You only need to simply slide the switch and the recorder will start to record instantly.
- It is compatible with various OS systems like MacOS, Windows, and Android. So you may transfer the data to any device.
Cons
- The recorder doesn’t play on iPhones. It is only available for the android phones.
SOTA Surveillance: Largest Battery Longest Continual Recording Option
If maximum recording is your aim, as in you need to record up to two-weeks of audio, then the SOTA recorder is for you. This is the longest-life device we could find that still had a relatively compact form-factor so it could still technically be hidden.
- PROFESSIONAL FEATURES - Up to 576 hours of recording capacity. There are no noises or indicator lights while recording. Choose from either continuous or voice activated modes. It has an amazing 150 Day Battery Life In VOS mode and...
- VOICE ACTIVATED RECORDING - Set the recording device where you want it, and then forget it. It'll turn on the next time it hears sound thanks to it’s voice activation feature. When the sound stops, the little audio recorder goes...
- EASILY LISTEN TO YOUR RECORDINGS - When you are ready to listen to your recordings You have two options. Simply connect to your computer to listen to the audio files or use the Included OTG cable to listen on your "OTG capable"...
Key Features
- It is a professional device that can run up to 576 hours of recording capability.
- There’s no noise capturer or any indicating light during recording. So you can be assured of its discreetness.
- It can run for 14 days after the battery is fully charged.
- Once the sound stops, the recorder automatically goes into a sleep mode so as to save battery life.
- You can easily listen to your recordings. You can play it directly from the recorder or you may choose to store the data through USB port into your PC.
- You can set time and date for organizing all the recordings
Pros
- There’s no noise capturer or any indicating light during recording. So you can easily hide it.
- It can run for 14 days after the battery is fully charged.
- Once the sound stops, the recorder automatically gets into a sleep mode to save battery life.
- You can set time and date for organizing all the recordings and listen to it.
Cons
- You can password protect your recordings so if anyone wants to access your device, your data is under potential threat. So if you are using it for any secret mission, make sure to protect it anyway.
Attodigit@l Mini: Most Compact Option for Hiding
Key Features
- It has 4 distinct recording qualities so you can choose from these as per your requirement, clarity and battery life. The qualities are as follow: 32, 192, 384, 1536 KBPS.
- It has 286 hours of recording capacity.
- It has 4 GB of storage capacity.
- It is compatible with MacOS (iOS), Android, and Windows.
Pros
- It is password protected
- It can offer 286 hours of recording capacity
- It is compatible with MacOS, Android, and Windows.
- The mini device can fit into anywhere.
- It is extremely user friendly.
Cons
- 4 GB storage capacity may not be enough. In that case either you have to transfer the data into another external system or extend the device’s memory with external memory card.
TCTEC-US Surveillance: Best Disguised Option
This is one of the MOST spy-worthy option in this list. We’ve done roundups of other hidden camera devices, some of which also used a pen form factor, but this one is audio-dedicated, extending it’s memory capabilities.
If you’re into spy gadgets, check out our roundup of the top James Bond movies of all time, and also make sure to check out our overview of actual functional spy pens while you’re at it!
- ✅[2021 MODEL] ENHANCED SOUND QUALITY - Your old voice recorder sucks? with TCTEC audio Upgraded 192Kbps PCM voice recorder adopts professional intelligent digital noise reduction chip that is ONLY designed by leading experts in...
- ✅16GB INTERNAL MEMORY & MAC/WINDOWS Compatible - Running low of capacity? We'll DOUBLE the capacity 16GB!! 5700 songs or 260hrs recorded files in your pocket. Recording time is up to 15 hours continuously with a full 2hrs...
- ✅VOICE ACTIVATED RECORDER - Forgot to turn the voice recorder on time ? TCTEC technology experts built in a powerful voice activated feature. All your need is to leave the recorder ON and place it close to the speakers for the...
Key Features
It has 16 GB memory and you can store around 580 hours of recording
It offers a multi-function as you can record sound, play music and also use it as a data storage device.
It is compatible to your PC and any Mac device.
Pros
- It has 16 GB memory
- You can store around 580 hours of recording
- It offers a multi-function as you can record any sound, play music and also use it as a data storage device.
Cons
- It is not compatible with either android or iPhone.
License-to-Shoot Conclusion
Hope you have received a comprehensive overview about voice activated recorder. Keep these pointers in mind while purchasing a product.
On the flip side, if you feel like someone maybe recording YOU, we have a post where we describe how to detect hidden cameras and recording devices as well as a roundup of some of the best electronic surveillance detectors you can buy to find bugs just like the ones we reviewed in this post!
What’s your take about our blog? Comment below and let us know!
Last update on 2021-04-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API