My singing voice is terrible in recordings?

I thought I had an ok singing voice then one day I decided to record it (just with iphone) for fun.
… And I'm still mortified at what I heard. It was absolutely terrible. It sounded like I had no training at all and just decided to sing something. I have been studying opera for five months so I'm a beginner, no vibrato or trills or anything like that, but the recording still sounded way different from the way I hear it.
My teacher says I'm doing fine but I'm not so sure. Is my recorded voice really what my voice sounds like to others?

Everyones at least done it once. Don't worry hun were all horrible on recording!

I have this problem too! It has to do with the recording program. Anything recorded does NOT sound even close to anything live. My instructor said to cup your ear gently and move it forward (so it sounds like you have a headset on.) it will show you what your real voice sounds like! Also, it'll help you to stay on pitch. And, if you're a beginner, it'll take a little while to find your voice!

Of course, your voice sounds different to you when you hear it recorded. You normally hear yourself singing not through your ears (alone), but through a combination of bone conduction AND air transmission vibrating your eardrum. But the recording you heard gave you no bone conduction at all.

Just get used to what your voice sounds like to others. Listen to some more recordings. The novelty will pass.

Think about this. If it were a bad sound, surely your teacher would comment appropriately.

Listen again to your recording. Are you on pitch? Are you in balance? Are you synchronized rhythmically with the rest of the ensemble? If the honest answer is YES, you should be all the more convinced that what you're calling "terrible" should really be described as "different" from the sound to which through life you have become accustomed.

Best wishes for your continued singing success.