How to Scrub Audio Messages Faster in iOS 16

Apple introduced significant upgrades to the Messages app in iOS 16, allowing users to both scrub through audio messages and listen to them at faster speeds. This guide explains how to navigate through voice notes using the interactive waveform and how to adjust playback speed settings to listen to long messages more quickly.

How to Scrub Through Audio Messages

In iOS 16 and later, audio messages feature an interactive waveform that lets you pinpoint specific parts of a recording:

1. Open the conversation containing the audio message in the Messages app.
2. Tap the Play button to begin playback.
3. Touch and hold the progress bar on the audio waveform.
4. Drag your finger left or right along the waveform to scrub backward or forward to the exact timestamp you want to hear.

How to Speed Up Audio Playback

If you want to listen to an audio message faster without manually dragging the scrubber, iOS 16 includes built-in playback speed options:

1. Tap Play on the received audio note.
2. Press and hold (long-press) the Play/Pause button, or tap the playback speed indicator that appears next to the recording.
3. Select your preferred playback speed from the menu: 1x, 1.25x, 1.5x, or 2x.

Once selected, the audio message will play at the chosen speed, making it much quicker to get through lengthy voice memos. Your preferred speed setting will typically persist for subsequent audio messages until changed back to normal speed.