A while back, while working on a video editing project, I stumbled upon a bunch of AMR files. Since the format is not that popular, I started learning more about it and discovered that a lot of people find it hard to play or convert AMR files. Well, to make it easier for you to learn more about the AMR audio format, I have come up with this complete guide. Here, I will let you know about my tried-and-tested solutions to play AMR files and to convert them into other media formats easily.
Part 1: What Is an AMR File: Things to Know
AMR, which stands for Adaptive Multi-Rate, is an ACELP codec audio format that is owned and developed by Ericsson. While the format was first released in 1999, its revamped version was out in 2017 that is most commonly used these days.
The AMR audio format is mostly used to store and transfer speech-based audio files such as call recordings, voice notes, and VoIP calls. The format is based on advanced technologies like Comfort Noise Generation (CNG) and Voice Activity Detection (VAD) that would optimize the speech in the audio format and minimize any background noise.
Based on the frequency band that is used by the AMR audio format, the file can be of a narrow or a wide band. As of now, the format is mostly used in link adaptation, GSM, UMTS, and other technologies that are based on speech optimization over audio.
Part 2: How to Play an AMR File on Your Computer or Smartphone?
Any AMR audio format file would be saved in the form of .AMR extension. While the audio format is not as common as MP3, there are dedicated media players for desktops and smartphones to play it.
Type 1: For Windows/Linux/Mac
If you want to load an AMR audio format file on your system, then you can use any compatible application. Out of them, VLC Media Player would be one of the best solutions as it is available for free and works on all the leading platforms.
To load an AMR file, you just have to launch VLC Media Player on your Windows, Mac, or Linux system. Afterward, just go to its Menu > Media > Open File to locate and load any AMR file on your system.
Besides VLC Media Player, you can also take the assistance of other applications like
AMR Player: This is a freely available media player that you can use on your Windows PC. As the name suggests, the media player is developed to play AMR file formats of different bit rates and bands.
MPC-HC Player: Media Player Classic is the legacy software to play videos and audio files on a Windows PC. The tool can still be downloaded for free from any reliable online source. It supports the playback of AMR files and numerous other files formats on your PC.
QuickTime: Mac users can simply take the assistance of the QuickTime Media Player to open AMR audio format for free. It is the inbuilt media player in Mac that is compatible with most of the media formats (audio and video).
Though, to edit or modify AMR audio files, Audacity would be an ideal free desktop application.
Type 2: For Android/iOS
Just like Windows or Mac, the VLC Media Player is available for both iOS and Android that can help you load AMR audio files on your smartphones. Apart from that, you can also take the assistance of the AMR Player or Real Time Player to load these audio files.
Note: How to Fix Audio Format EAC3 Is Not Supported Error? Get 5 Ways Here!
Part 3: How to Convert an AMR File to Other Media Formats?
As you can see, the AMR audio format is used in specific scenarios and is not supported by so many applications. That’s why, a lot of users consider converting their AMR files to any other supported media format like MP3, FLAC, or WAV. Therefore, if you also wish to convert your AMR files to any other supported format, then consider these solutions:
For Small Files: Use an Online File Converter Tool
To convert files from an AMR audio format to any other supported media format, you can use any reliable online converter like Wondershare UniConverter or FileZigZag.
1. Wondershare UniConverter
Wondershare provides desktop as well as online applications of UniConverter that you can use for free. To convert your AMR file to any other format, just head to the official website of UniConverter. Now, you can load an AMR file from your system’s storage, Google Drive, or Dropbox. Afterward, you can select a target format to convert your file into formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC, AU, MKA, OGG, and many more.
That’s it! You can now start the conversion of your AMR file and can download the converted media file afterward.
2. FileZigZag
FileZigZag is another popular free online converter solution that you can use to convert media files from one format to another. You can just upload your AMR audio format file to FileZigZag and convert it to numerous audio formats like MP3, WAV, and many more.
While the online tool is available for free, it only supports the conversion of up to 10 AMR files in a day (of no more than 50MB size). If you want to overcome these restrictions, then you can also get the premium version of FileZigZag online.
For Larger Files: Using Professional Converter Tools
Most of the online AMR converters have a restricted limit for the file size. Therefore, if you have large-sized AMR files to convert, then you can use any reliable application like Freemake Audio Converter, Hamster Free Audio Converter, or VSDC Audio Converter.
These tools are available for free and work in a similar way. Once the AMR audio format file is uploaded on these tools, you can select any preferred target format (like MP3, FLAC, WAV, and so on). These desktop tools also have no size limits, letting you convert even large AMR files. Besides that, you can also check out the Top 10 Audio Converters You Must Know to meet your other requirements.
Extra Tip: Lost Your AMR Files? Recover Them Instantly!
At times, while managing, storing, or transferring your AMR files, you can end up losing your data. In this way, you can recover your lost AMR audio format files with a reliable tool like Wondershare Recoverit.
It is an advanced audio recovery application that can help you get back your lost data from numerous sources like your system’s disk, external hard drives, pen drives, Recycle Bin, or any other specific folder. The application is super-easy to use, has one of the highest recovery rates in the industry, and supports the recovery of all kinds of media files (including AMR audio files). Here is a stepwise approach that you can also follow to recover your lost AMR files from any location.
Step 1: Select a Location to Scan for AMR Files
At first, you can install Wondershare Recoverit on your system, and launch it whenever you wish to restore any lost AMR audio files.
Here, you can select any partition on your system to scan. You can also select any externally connected device (like an SD card or an external hard drive). If you want, you can also click on the “Select Folder” button to browse any specific folder on your system.
Step 2: Wait for Recoverit to Scan the Selected Location
Once you start the data recovery process, you can simply wait for a while as Recoverit would look for your lost AMR files. You can check the real-time results of the scanning process here and can even pause/stop it in between.
To make it easier for us to find specific recovered content, you can use all kinds of filters provided in Recoverit. For instance, you can look for specific files on the search bar and can filter results based on file type, time, size, and so on.
Step 3: Preview and Recover your AMR Audio File
Great! After completing the data recovery process, you can simply get a preview of your videos, photos, documents, and audio files on the native interface of Recoverit. You can just select any AMR file here and listen to it beforehand.
Once you are satisfied with the results, you can just select the AMR file on the interface and click on the “Recover” button. Now, Wondershare Recoverit will open a browser window, letting you save the recovered AMR file to any preferred location on your computer.
The Bottom Line
That’s a wrap, everyone! I’m sure that after reading this post, you would be able to know every vital thing about the AMR audio format. Apart from covering the basics, I have also provided some smart solutions to open AMR files on multiple platforms. Besides that, you can also try the above-listed solutions to convert AMR files to other supported media formats. Though, if your AMR files have been lost or are inaccessible, then a professional tool like Wondershare Recoverit would be a go-to solution to get them back.