Not able to Voice record in PPT app on iPad

Question

I am writing to enquire about an issue we are experiencing with the Narrate/Insert Voice tools in PowerPoint. These features have been successfully used in our school setting for several years across multiple devices.

Recently, when attempting to use this feature, we are prompted to add Apple Music. However, there does not appear to be any option to record voice audio, which prevents us from using the feature as intended.

This issue is occurring consistently across multiple devices within our school environment. Could you please advise whether this is a settings issue, a licensing change, or a recent update affecting voice recording functionality?

Thank you for your assistance.

Answer 1

Dear @Selina Palmer,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

I truly appreciate your clear explanation in this situation. I understand how frustrating this is, especially since voice narration has been an important part of your school’s workflow for many years.

At this time, PowerPoint on iPad does not support recording voice narration directly within the app. This behavior is a known limitation of the iOS version of PowerPoint and is not related to licensing, account type, or school settings.

Here are some Microsoft Official Document regarding the PowerPoint's features: Compare PowerPoint features on different platforms and Add or delete audio in your PowerPoint presentation

Moreover, I totally agree that voice narration in iPad is an important feature for education use cases. To help improve the product, I strongly encourage submitting feedback directly to Microsoft Product team.

To ensure your feedback reaches the right teams, I highly recommend submitting your feedback directly to Microsoft Ideas · Community, where our product development team can know your requirements and ideas for product improvements. If enough users raise ticket for the same idea, Microsoft may consider adding this feature in the future. 

Note: As Microsoft Community moderators, please note that we are not involved in product design decisions and do not have direct access to the development roadmap, we want to assure you that your feedback has been acknowledged and is valued.  

I hope this information is helpful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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Answer 2

It seems that you are experiencing issues with the voice recording functionality in PowerPoint on iPad. This could be due to several factors including settings, licensing, or recent updates. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot the issue:

1. Check Permissions: Ensure that PowerPoint has permission to access the microphone on your iPad. You can check this in the iPad's Settings under Privacy > Microphone.
2. Update PowerPoint: Make sure that you are using the latest version of PowerPoint. Sometimes, updates can resolve existing issues.
3. Reinstall the App: If the problem persists, try deleting and reinstalling the PowerPoint app. This can help reset any settings that might be causing the issue.
4. Check for iOS Updates: Ensure that your iPad is running the latest version of iOS, as compatibility issues can arise with older versions.
5. Contact Support: If none of the above solutions work, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance, as they may have more specific insights into recent changes affecting the app.

Since this issue is occurring across multiple devices, it may also be worth checking if there are any known issues or updates from Microsoft regarding the voice recording feature in PowerPoint.

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References:

• Vocal - Record voice notes & send audio mail in Outlook (security)