diff --git a/contexts/audioContext.tsx b/contexts/audioContext.tsx
index 160ce00..25ff205 100644
--- a/contexts/audioContext.tsx
+++ b/contexts/audioContext.tsx
@@ -2,9 +2,11 @@ import React, { useCallback, useContext, useEffect, useState } from "react";
 import toast from "react-hot-toast";
 import { KeyCode } from "../globals/keycode";
 import MicRecorder from "mic-recorder-to-mp3";
+import { v4 as uuidv4 } from "uuid";
 
 import AudioPlayer from "react-h5-audio-player";
 import "react-h5-audio-player/lib/styles.css";
+import CloudStorageService from "../services/cloudStorageService";
 
 interface AudioContextInterface {
   selectedTeammate: string; // can only have one selected
@@ -48,6 +50,8 @@ function stopBothVideoAndAudio(stream) {
   });
 }
 
+const cloudStorageService = new CloudStorageService();
+
 export default function AudioContextProvider({ children }) {
   // SECTION: set up for shortcuts and recording and such
   const [selectedTeammate, setSelectedTeamMember] = useState<string>(null); // id of selected teammate
@@ -179,30 +183,29 @@ export default function AudioContextProvider({ children }) {
       );
   }
 
-  // everything to do with audio file
-  async function stopRecording() {
-    recorder
-      .stop()
-      .getMp3()
-      .then(([buffer, blob]) => {
-        const blobURL = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
+  async function stopRecording(): Promise<File> {
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      recorder
+        .stop()
+        .getMp3()
+        .then(([buffer, blob]) => {
+          const blobURL = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
 
-        const file = new File(buffer, "me-at-thevoice.mp3", {
-          type: blob.type,
-          lastModified: Date.now(),
+          const file = new File(buffer, uuidv4() + ".mp3", {
+            type: blob.type,
+            lastModified: Date.now(),
+          });
+
+          const player = new Audio(URL.createObjectURL(file));
+          player.onended = onEndedPlaying;
+          player.play();
+
+          resolve(file);
+        })
+        .catch((error) => {
+          reject(error.message);
         });
-
-        const player = new Audio(URL.createObjectURL(file));
-
-        console.log(URL.createObjectURL(file));
-
-        player.onended = onEndedPlaying;
-
-        player.play();
-
-        toast.success("Audio Clip Sent");
-      })
-      .catch((e) => toast.error("Problem in sending clip"));
+    });
   }
 
   function onEndedPlaying(e) {
@@ -222,7 +225,24 @@ export default function AudioContextProvider({ children }) {
         console.log("stopped recording");
         setIsRecording(false);
 
-        stopRecording();
+        stopRecording()
+          .then((file) => {
+            console.log(file);
+
+            // upload to cloud storage
+            return cloudStorageService.uploadMessageAudioFile(file);
+          })
+          .then((downloadUrl) => {
+            console.log("file is stored: " + downloadUrl);
+
+            // send message to firestore
+
+            return;
+          })
+          .then(() => {})
+          .catch((error) => {
+            toast.error("Problem in sending clip");
+          });
 
         console.log("sending message to " + selectedTeammate);
 
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 5eb861d..3585c9b 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@
         "react-h5-audio-player": "^3.8.1",
         "react-hot-toast": "^2.2.0",
         "react-icons": "^4.3.1",
-        "react-moment": "^1.1.1"
+        "react-moment": "^1.1.1",
+        "uuid": "^8.3.2"
       },
       "devDependencies": {
         "@types/react": "^17.0.38",
@@ -8908,7 +8909,6 @@
       "version": "8.3.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/uuid/-/uuid-8.3.2.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-+NYs2QeMWy+GWFOEm9xnn6HCDp0l7QBD7ml8zLUmJ+93Q5NF0NocErnwkTkXVFNiX3/fpC6afS8Dhb/gz7R7eg==",
-      "optional": true,
       "bin": {
         "uuid": "dist/bin/uuid"
       }
@@ -16099,8 +16099,7 @@
     "uuid": {
       "version": "8.3.2",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/uuid/-/uuid-8.3.2.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-+NYs2QeMWy+GWFOEm9xnn6HCDp0l7QBD7ml8zLUmJ+93Q5NF0NocErnwkTkXVFNiX3/fpC6afS8Dhb/gz7R7eg==",
-      "optional": true
+      "integrity": "sha512-+NYs2QeMWy+GWFOEm9xnn6HCDp0l7QBD7ml8zLUmJ+93Q5NF0NocErnwkTkXVFNiX3/fpC6afS8Dhb/gz7R7eg=="
     },
     "v8-compile-cache": {
       "version": "2.3.0",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 91413ab..d63edad 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -20,7 +20,8 @@
     "react-h5-audio-player": "^3.8.1",
     "react-hot-toast": "^2.2.0",
     "react-icons": "^4.3.1",
-    "react-moment": "^1.1.1"
+    "react-moment": "^1.1.1",
+    "uuid": "^8.3.2"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@types/react": "^17.0.38",
diff --git a/services/cloudStorageService.tsx b/services/cloudStorageService.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..510f8cd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/cloudStorageService.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import {
+  getDownloadURL,
+  getStorage,
+  ref,
+  uploadBytesResumable,
+} from "firebase/storage";
+
+export default class CloudStorageService {
+  private storage = getStorage();
+
+  /**
+   * return the
+   */
+  async uploadMessageAudioFile(audioFile: File): Promise<string | Error> {
+    // Create the file metadata
+    /** @type {any} */
+    const metadata = {
+      contentType: "audio/mpeg",
+    };
+
+    // Upload file and metadata to the object 'images/mountains.jpg'
+    const storageRef = ref(this.storage, "messages/" + audioFile.name);
+    const uploadTask = uploadBytesResumable(storageRef, audioFile, metadata);
+
+    // Listen for state changes, errors, and completion of the upload.
+    return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+      uploadTask.on(
+        "state_changed",
+        (snapshot) => {
+          // Get task progress, including the number of bytes uploaded and the total number of bytes to be uploaded
+          const progress =
+            (snapshot.bytesTransferred / snapshot.totalBytes) * 100;
+          console.log("Upload is " + progress + "% done");
+          switch (snapshot.state) {
+            case "paused":
+              console.log("Upload is paused");
+              break;
+            case "running":
+              console.log("Upload is running");
+              break;
+          }
+        },
+        (error) => {
+          // A full list of error codes is available at
+          // https://firebase.google.com/docs/storage/web/handle-errors
+
+          reject(new Error(error.message));
+
+          switch (error.code) {
+            case "storage/unauthorized":
+              // User doesn't have permission to access the object
+              break;
+            case "storage/canceled":
+              // User canceled the upload
+              break;
+
+            // ...
+
+            case "storage/unknown":
+              // Unknown error occurred, inspect error.serverResponse
+              break;
+          }
+        },
+        () => {
+          // Upload completed successfully, now we can get the download URL
+          return getDownloadURL(uploadTask.snapshot.ref).then((downloadURL) => {
+            console.log("File available at", downloadURL);
+
+            return resolve(downloadURL);
+          });
+        }
+      );
+    });
+  }
+}
diff --git a/services/sendService.tsx b/services/sendService.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dddaedf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/sendService.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+export class SendService {
+  async sendMessage() {}
+}