An answering machine, also known as an answerphone, is a device used to answer telephone calls and record messages when you’re not available to pick up the phone. Before voicemail and smartphones, answering machines were the primary way people could leave messages if the person they were calling wasn't home.
Greeting Message: When someone called, the answering machine would play a pre-recorded greeting. This could be a generic message or a personalized one recorded by the user.
Recording Messages: After the greeting, the machine would beep, signaling the caller to leave a message. Early machines used magnetic tapes to record these messages.
Remote Access: Some machines allowed users to call their own number and, by entering a code, listen to their messages remotely. This was especially useful when people were away from home.
Beeping Sound: The "beep" after the greeting message was a crucial part of the experience, signaling the caller to start talking.
Remote Control: Some machines had a remote control feature, where you could listen to your messages from another location by entering a code on your phone.
We currently have a file size limit of 10 MB. Given that most voice messages are encoded with a constant bitrate and a single channel (mono, no stereo), we can calculate the maximum duration of a file using the following equation:
Applying this equation to our 10 MB limit and a bitrate of 64 kbps (commonly used by the iPhone recorder app), we arrive at a maximum duration of approximately 21 minutes and 51 seconds. To easily calculate durations for different file sizes and bitrates, you can use our audio duration calculator.