Recording Conversations on iPhone
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?" 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.