Convert AMR to MP3
Convert AMR voice memos and call recordings from older phones into MP3 files that open on almost any device. Free, no sign-up, up to 50 MB.
Convert AMR voice memos and call recordings from older phones into MP3 files that open on almost any device. Free, no sign-up, up to 50 MB.
AMR (Adaptive Multi-Rate) is the speech codec developed for GSM and 3G mobile calls. Because it produces extremely small files, many phones used it for voice recorder apps, call recording apps and MMS voice messages. Playback is the problem: a lot of desktop media players, audio editors and web upload forms won't open a .amr file. Converting to MP3 makes those recordings playable on practically any computer or phone.
The converter writes an MP3 with the LAME encoder and keeps the sample rate of the source. For a standard AMR-NB recording that means an 8 kHz mono MP3. Our MP3 setting is 192 kbps, but the MP3 format caps the bitrate at low sample rates, so the encoder uses the highest rate it allows: 64 kbps for 8 kHz files, and 160 kbps for 16 kHz AMR-WB files.
.amr files, and feature phones stored them on the memory card. Connect by USB or read the microSD card in a computer..amr and .3gp are accepted, and so are .3ga files from some Samsung recorders and .awb wideband recordings, so there's nothing to rename.AMR-NB samples audio 8,000 times per second, which captures frequencies up to about 4 kHz. That's the narrowband "phone call" sound, and the codec squeezes it into 12.2 kbps or less. Conversion decodes precisely that audio and stores it as an MP3 at the same 8 kHz. No lost frequencies are rebuilt, so a muffled or slightly robotic recording sounds the same afterward. What you gain is a file that opens everywhere.
AMR-WB, marketed on some phones as HD Voice, samples at 16 kHz and captures up to about 8 kHz. It sounds noticeably fuller than narrowband, but it's still tuned for speech rather than music.
| Source | Source size per minute | MP3 from this tool | MP3 size per minute |
|---|---|---|---|
| AMR-NB, 12.2 kbps | about 0.09 MB | 8 kHz mono, 64 kbps | about 0.48 MB |
| AMR-WB, up to 23.85 kbps | up to about 0.18 MB | 16 kHz mono, 160 kbps | about 1.2 MB |
The MP3 is several times larger than the AMR, yet still small enough to email or attach to a message without trouble.
That's expected and can't be fixed by changing formats. The narrow frequency range was set when the phone recorded the audio.
There are no volume controls here. Open the converted MP3 in an audio editor and apply gain or normalization there.
3GP files from older phones and MMS messages can include video. The converter discards any video track and saves only the sound.
Newer phones usually record AAC audio in an .m4a file, which sounds much better than AMR. Use M4A to MP3 for those. If you need to create AMR files rather than read them, see the AMR converter.
Check the extension first, as described in the steps above. A recording over 50 MB is unlikely to be plain AMR; it may be a video or a different audio format with the wrong name.
| AMR | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Adaptive Multi-Rate Narrowband | MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer III |
| Compression | Lossy (speech) | Lossy |
| Developed by | 3GPP | Fraunhofer IIS / MPEG |
| Introduced | 1999 | 1993 |
| File extension | .amr | .mp3 |
| Typically used for | Call recordings, old mobile voice memos, MMS | Music libraries, podcasts, everyday listening |
| Plays on | Android, VLC, many phones; poor browser support | Virtually every phone, computer, browser, car stereo and media player |
| Our output | AMR-NB, 12.2 kbps, 8 kHz mono | LAME MP3, 192 kbps CBR, stereo |
Many desktop media players and audio editors can't open AMR. The easiest fix is to convert the recording to MP3: upload the .amr file on this page, choose MP3, click Convert, then download. The resulting MP3 plays in standard players on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iPhone.
No. AMR-NB records at 8 kHz, which only captures frequencies up to about 4 kHz, the typical phone-call sound. The MP3 keeps that same 8 kHz audio, so muffled or robotic speech stays that way. Converting makes the recording easier to open and share rather than clearer.
The MP3 format limits bitrate at low sample rates. Our converter keeps your recording's sample rate, and for 8 kHz AMR-NB audio the encoder caps the MP3 at 64 kbps. Wideband 16 kHz AMR-WB files come out at 160 kbps. Neither limit affects quality, because the source contains far less detail than those bitrates can store.
Yes. Samsung .3ga recordings and wideband .awb files are both accepted, alongside .amr and .3gp. The converter reads the audio inside the file, so nothing needs renaming. Wideband recordings are 16 kHz, so their MP3 comes out at about 160 kbps rather than the 64 kbps an 8 kHz narrowband file gets.
The recording you upload is deleted as soon as it has been converted, and the MP3 and any leftover files are deleted automatically within about an hour. We don't listen to or keep your audio, and no account is needed. Download the MP3 soon after conversion so you don't lose it.
Need detailed information or want to set a different default format? Visit our specific converter pages: