From your teacher or school
Google Classroom, class messaging-app attachments, shared drives, or a QR code on a handout that opens an audio page. Save the MP3 to the Files app and it's ready to import.
A listening practice guide for students
How do I play an MP3 from class on my iPhone?
Audio opened inside a chat app stops the moment the screen locks, and files can expire before the exam does. Class audio deserves a real player. Save it to Otoha the day it arrives and it becomes a file on your device: no expiry, playback with the screen off, practice that picks up where you left it.
Free playback · No ads · Lock-screen and background playback
Safari downloads
Messages or chat attachments
Email attachments
AirDrop or school cloud drives
↓
Files
Listening / Course 01
01-introduction.mp3
02-dialogue.mp3
03-review.mp4
Wherever it arrives, choose the route that fits
Safari downloads
Messages or chat attachments
Email attachments
AirDrop or school cloud drives
Where does exam and textbook audio come from?
Whether you're preparing for Eiken, TOEIC, TOEFL, or a class test, listening audio arrives through a few well-worn channels. One question decides everything: can you get an actual audio file? If yes, it can go into Otoha for close listening.
Official exam-board audio
Many exam boards publish sample or past-exam listening audio on their sites; Eiken in Japan posts recent past-exam MP3s for free. Long-press the link (right-click on a computer) and save.
Publisher download pages
Textbook publishers offer MP3 or ZIP downloads, sometimes gated by a password or serial code printed in the book. On iPhone, download in Safari, then tap the ZIP in Files to extract it.
Code-redemption services
Some books ship with a serial code you redeem on a companion service (such as audiobook.jp in Japan) to download the MP3s. Save them to Files, then import.
App-only audio
Some companion apps only stream audio inside the app, with no file export. If the same title also offers a download edition, choose that one and it can live in your own library.
Audio materials are copyrighted: download them for your own use as the buyer, and don't redistribute them. Some publishers retire downloads after a deadline, so save the audio when you get the book.
From "file received" to "lesson done"
This works with common MP3, M4A, WAV, and MP4 course files.
- 01
Save it the moment it arrives
Pick Otoha in the share sheet and pick or create a playlist. For a batch, organize a course folder in Files and import the whole folder. Saved files never expire.
- 02
Listen with subtitles
Playback continues with the screen locked, and the current line shows on the lock screen. No text? Speech is transcribed into timed captions.
- 03
Drill the sentence that got away
Jump back 5 seconds to hear it again, long-press the line in the subtitles to loop that one sentence, or set A and B points to repeat a whole passage. Slow it to 0.5× without pitch shift, and if it still won't click, tap the line and ask AI.
- 04
Pick up where you left off
Next time, open Otoha and continue, with no digging through old messages. Listening stats show your real practice time.
The Learning page
Can't make out the audio? AI hears it and explains it
Switch a file into Learning Mode and you get a page built for close listening: audio with no transcript becomes line-by-line subtitles, hard sentences slow down and repeat, and AI explains what you're hearing until it clicks.
02-dialogue.mp3Learning Mode
I was hoping we could go over the schedule.
We should carry out the plan as soon as possible.
Sentence loopThat works — let's touch base on Friday.
AI explanation
"Carry out" means to execute or put into action — a set phrase often paired with plan or task, more formal than "do".
Follow-up: how is it different from "implement"?
-5s▶0.75×A-B
Automatic AI subtitles
A bare MP3 with no transcript is fine: AI transcribes the speech into timed, line-by-line subtitles. Tap any line to jump straight to it.
AI explanations, not just translations
Open a subtitle line and AI breaks it down: meaning, key words, the sentence pattern, why it's said that way, and how to use it.
Ask follow-up questions
Still unsure? Keep asking ("where else does this pattern apply?") and AI continues from the same context until you actually get it.
Repeat any way you like
Long-press a line in the subtitles to loop that one sentence, set A and B points to loop a longer passage, or tap once to jump back 5 seconds.
Speed on your terms
0.5×–3.0× with the pitch unchanged. Hear every sound slowly first, then step back up to natural speed.
Subtitles you can fix, or redo
Edit any line the recognition got wrong right in place, or have AI transcribe the whole file again.
Everything close listening needs
Lock-screen and background playback
Chat-app audio stops when the screen locks; audio in Otoha keeps going, with the current subtitle line on the lock screen.
Slow down without the chipmunk pitch
0.5×–3.0× speed with the pitch unchanged. Start slow, then work back up to full speed.
Start without subtitles
Transcribe speech into timed captions or import LRC/SRT, then correct any line that's off.
Learning
See how long you actually practiced
Listening Stats count actual playback time only. Pauses do not count; rewinding and repeating a section count again because that time is part of the practice.
Review each period
See actual playback time for today, this week, and this month.
Keep learning separate
Practice in Learning Mode is counted separately from ordinary music listening.
Know what you return to
See your most-played songs, albums, and artists over time.
Turn recording off or clear it at any time. Clearing statistics does not change audio files or playlists.
TodayLearning + Music
LearningMusic
This WeekLearning + Music
LearningMusic
This MonthLearning + Music
LearningMusic
How do I import a file into Otoha?+
For one file, open the share sheet, choose Otoha, then pick or create a playlist. For a batch, organize a folder in Files and import it. Files received through AirDrop work either way.
The download is a ZIP archive. Now what?+
Tap the ZIP in the Files app and it extracts into a folder. Use Import Folder in Otoha and the whole set becomes one playlist.
My teacher sends voice messages, not files.+
Voice messages use special formats and need converting to an audio file first. Ask for the file itself, or export the voice message as MP3, then share it to Otoha.
What if the teacher sends many files?+
Put the course files in one folder, then use Import Folder in Otoha to create a playlist.
Can it play MP4 lesson videos?+
Yes. Otoha supports local MP4, M4V, and MOV video with subtitles.
Chat files expire. Your library doesn't.
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