# Recording Conversations on iPhone

> Record in-person conversations and transcribe them on your phone.

Source: https://groupthink.com/docs/ios_recording/
Last updated: 2026-09-16

Groupthink records the conversations that happen in the room around you — a coffee, a hallway sync, a one-on-one — and transcribes them on your phone. The audio never leaves the device.

## Starting a recording

On the **Interactions** tab, tap **Start recording**. You can also tap the **+** button in the middle of the tab bar from any screen and choose **Start recording**.

The first time, iOS asks for microphone access. Grant it and recording begins. While it runs you'll see a pulsing red circle, a timer counting up, and **Recording…**. Tap the stop circle to end it.

## It keeps running when you look away

Recording continues if you switch apps or lock the phone — you'll see **RECORDING** and the timer at the top of whatever tab you're on, plus a "Recording" entry on your lock screen with a Stop button. This is deliberate: you can put the phone down mid-conversation without losing the capture.

If a phone call comes in while you're recording, Groupthink pauses (the indicator turns orange and reads **PAUSED**) and picks back up automatically when the call ends.

## Transcribing on-device

When you stop, Groupthink transcribes the audio right on your phone using Apple's on-device speech models — nothing is uploaded. You'll see **Transcribing on-device…**. The first time can take a moment while the phone loads the speech model; after that it's quick.

Once it's done, the recording is dropped and only the transcript is kept.

> **Heads up:** On-device summaries (the short recap above your transcript) use Apple Intelligence, which needs a recent iPhone (15 Pro or newer). On older phones you'll still get the full transcript; the summary is what's unavailable.

## "Who is this about?"

Right after a recording, Groupthink asks **Who is this about?** so you can file it while it's fresh. Pick the people it involved (or type a new name), and choose whether it's an **Interaction** (you actually talked — logged as contact) or a **Private note** (a thought about them, not logged as contact). Tap **Save**.

Filing to people syncs the note to their timeline when you're signed in. If you skip it, the recording still saves — just to yourself. See [People and "Who is this about?"](/docs/ios_people) for the details.

## Why it can't record phone calls

A lot of people try to record a phone call — put in headphones, start a Groupthink recording, take the call — and end up with an empty transcript. That's not a bug you can fix in settings. **iOS does not let any app record phone-call audio** — not the other person, and not even your own side. During a cellular or FaceTime call, the phone hands the microphone exclusively to the call, so a recording started at the same time captures silence.

To make this clear, Groupthink now shows a warning if you start a recording while you're already on a call: _"You're on a call. iOS won't let apps record call audio — this will only pick up room sound through the mic, not the call itself."_ The recording still runs (useful if you're on speakerphone in a room), but it won't contain the call.

If you need a record of a call, your options are to put it on speaker and let Groupthink capture the room, or to jot the key points afterward with **Log interaction**.

## Getting the best transcript

- A quieter room and speaking clearly beat any setting. Heavy background noise and people talking over each other are the usual culprits behind a rough transcript.
- For a call you're on speaker for, put the phone closer to you than to the speaker — your side will come through cleanest.

_Trouble recording? See [Troubleshooting the iPhone app](/docs/ios_troubleshooting)._