We’re back with the next installment in our blog + podcast series exploring design decisions that shape the tools we rely on — especially the ones that hold our memories.
Last time, we looked at Apple Photos in iOS 17 and 18. We saw how a simple, personal, and predictable app turned into something prioritizing algorithmic feeds over user control. That post was about images; today, we turn to sound.
Voice Memos has quietly become our accidental audio diary. Baby giggles, late-night song ideas, random insights, and fleeting thoughts — all stored in an app that’s supposed to make it simple to capture and retrieve. But instead, it’s often chaotic, frustrating, and full of lost recordings.
So what went wrong?
Real user reviews of Voice Memos App in the App Store. Used for educational illustration under fair use.
In this post, we dig into why Voice Memos is losing our most precious audio memories. From unexpected design changes to subtle usability issues, the app that should protect our stories often leaves us scrambling. It’s a cautionary tale about the emotional impact of design decisions — one that mirrors what happened with Photos.
This matters for Sound Library because we want to learn from both successes and failures. Just like iOS 17 Photos got memory management right, a good audio app should protect the moments we care about, not bury them under chaos. That’s the approach we’re bringing to Sound Library.
More to come soon.
H. & J.