Apple has added a new Layered Recording feature to its Voice Memos app, exclusive to the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 18.2.
The company says the feature allows users to record vocals over instrumental tracks directly from their devices, bypassing the need for headphones or external recording tools.
Using Apple’s A18 Pro chip and machine learning, the app isolates vocals and instrumental tracks into two separate layers, which can be edited further in professional software like Logic Pro, Apple says.

According to Apple, musicians can now play their instrumental recordings through the iPhone speaker while capturing vocals with the phone’s built-in studio-quality microphones.
Apple: Layered Recording feature integrates with Logic Pro for Mac and iPad
According to Apple, musicians can now play their instrumental recordings through the iPhone speaker while capturing vocals with the phone’s built-in studio-quality microphones.
“With Voice Memos, users can incorporate a variety of background instrumentals — like acoustic guitar or piano — as the first layer. In Logic Pro, artists and producers can also send an instrumental music mix as a compressed audio file directly to Voice Memos, making it easy to then record a vocal layer on top, wherever and whenever inspiration strikes,” Apple says.
To demonstrate the feature, Apple collaborated with Grammy winners Michael Bublé, Carly Pearce, and Greg Wells, who used the app to create their new holiday track, “Maybe This Christmas.”

According to Bublé, the update simplifies the creative process, allowing artists to record ideas whenever inspiration strikes. “And now with Layered Recordings, if an artist has a moment of inspiration, being unencumbered by the traditional studio experience becomes the advantage, not the limitation. It’s so typically Apple to build something we didn’t know we needed — and now won’t be able to live without,” he says in a statement released by the tech company.
This update is part of a slew of other AI powered features released in the new iOS update. Apple has released more of its long-awaited features featuring its image playground, genmoji, writing tools and ChatGPT integration.
The Layered Recording feature is available now for iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max users with iOS 18.2. It also integrates with Logic Pro for Mac and iPad, provided users are running the latest updates.