You can save audio files in various formats such as m4a, mp3, wma, flac, and wav. To select the desired format, click on the three dots at the top right and then Recording Format.

How-To How to save an MP3 or AAC file to your iPhone or iPad Saving music files to your iPhone is easy, you just need a computer with iTunes.

In iOS 16, pressing and holding an audio message brought up a Save option in the pop-up menu, but after tapping it, it was not obvious where to go to locate the file.