How do you convert 3GP to MP3? ffmpeg, VLC, or not at all.
Run ffmpeg -i clip.3gp -vn -c:a libmp3lame -b:a 96k clip.mp3, or in VLC choose Convert/Save and an MP3 audio profile (menu wording varies by version and platform). Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
3GP, explained
3GP is the phone format of the 2000s. The sound inside is usually small and speech-ready.
Where 3GP comes from
Older mobile phones saved video and voice notes as 3GP, and some phones and messaging apps still use it for voice. Family stories, lectures filmed from a seat, field interviews and voice memos from those years survive as 3GP files on old memory cards and backups.
What is inside
A 3GP usually carries AMR speech audio, often sampled at 8 kHz, or AAC. Converting cannot add detail that was never recorded, so 64 to 96 kbps MP3 is plenty; a higher bit rate only makes a bigger file. If the 3GP has video, -vn in the ffmpeg command drops it.
When to skip it
If the upload accepts the 3GP, there is nothing to gain from converting. Convert when the upload refuses it, when a player you need will not open it, or when you want to join many short clips into one MP3 first. Use recordings you own or have the right to use. Large files, rare for 3GP, continue on the upload page above 500 MB.
After it goes up
Timestamps on the text, a brief of what was said, chapters, the names, dates and numbers mentioned, and a chat over the transcript. Speakers are named in the summary, key quotes and chapters. Export TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT or JSON.
Old phone recordings
A memory card of 3GP clips holds hours of voices that nobody has heard in years.
✗ As they are
Dozens of clips in an old format, named by number.
- Files called VID00034.3gp
- Players that refuse the format
- No idea which clip holds which story
- Clips too short to bother with alone
- Hours spent listening to catalogue
- Nothing written down
✓ Converted or uploaded
One MP3 or the 3GP itself, then text you can read.
- About 43 MB an hour at 96 kbps
- 2 hours in about 4 minutes
- Chapters across the recording
- Names and dates listed
- DOCX to share with family
- Packs from $4 for 300 minutes
Illustrative transcript
A long family-history recording saved on an older phone as 3GP.
Invented for this page; no real family or person. Times follow the converted MP3.
Export
One transcript. Five clean formats.
Every pack exports all five — no format is held back for a higher tier.
Plain text
De-ummed paragraphs. Ready to paste.
SRT captions
Timed to the speech. Every video editor reads this.
WebVTT
HTML5 player + YouTube uploads.
Show notes
Formatted with chapters and pull-quotes.
Machine-readable
Timestamped text for your own tools.
Pricing
Honest pricing, no surprises.
A pack from $4 (300 minutes) opens the full transcript. After that, no subscription and no auto-renew — every tier is a one-time minute pack, and credits never expire. Buy once, use the minutes whenever you need them.
Casual pack
$4/300 min
5 hours of audio — $0.80 an hour. One-time — credits never expire.
- 300 minutes of audio
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
- Executive summary & key quote
Best value
$18/3,000 min
50 hours of audio — $0.36 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 3,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- All export formats
- AI chat over the whole transcript
Bulk pack
$32/6,000 min
100 hours of audio — $0.32 an hour. Credits never expire.
- 6,000 minutes of audio
- Summary, chapters and key quotes
- API access for batch pipelines
- All export formats
FAQ
3GP to MP3: answers
Do I need to convert 3GP before transcribing?
Usually not: try the upload first. If it refuses the file, convert it to MP3 with ffmpeg or VLC, or to MP4 if you want to keep the video.
Which bit rate should I pick?
64 to 96 kbps mono or stereo is plenty for the speech in a 3GP. At 96 kbps an hour is about 43 MB; at 64 kbps about 29 MB.
How big is an hour of 3GP?
It varies widely: a voice-only AMR file at 12.2 kbps is about 5.5 MB an hour, while 3GP video from a later phone can be a few hundred MB an hour. Either way it is far below the 5 GB per-file limit, so the 10-hour limit is the one a long recording could meet.
I have many short 3GP clips.
Upload them one by one, or join them into a single MP3 first so the transcript reads as one story; the minutes are the same. Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
How long does it take, and what is free?
About 2 minutes per audio hour, so 2 hours takes about 4 minutes. Every recording starts with a free preview of its opening minutes. Packs start at $4 for 300 minutes, and credits never expire.
Languages, exports and privacy?
99 languages are detected automatically, and English words dropped into another language are handled. Exports: TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT, JSON. Recordings are transcribed on our own servers and are never used for training.
Related
Related pages
Old 3GP clips on a card. Their stories, written down.
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