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 stays on the device unless you choose to send a recording to Groupthink to transcribe (see below).

Starting a recording

On the Interactions tab, tap Start recording. You can also tap the Advisor button (the sparkle in the middle of the tab bar) from any screen and choose Record.

The first time, iOS asks for microphone access. Grant it and recording begins. On iOS 18 to 25, iOS also asks for Speech Recognition right after, because transcription on those versions needs it. Transcription still runs only on the phone. Recording starts whatever you answer.

While it runs you'll see a pulsing red circle, a timer counting up, and Recording…. Tap the stop circle to end it.

If you said no to Speech Recognition, your recording is still saved. Its card shows Open Settings: turn Speech Recognition on for Groupthink there, come back, and tap Try transcribing again. If Screen Time or your organization has turned Speech Recognition off, Groupthink can't transcribe on that iPhone and says so; there is nothing to retry.

From an event or a person

When an event on your Today tab is in person (you tapped Switch to in person, or Groupthink reads it as in person from clues such as a place in the title or location), it shows a Record button where a call would show Join. It's there from half an hour before the event starts until half an hour after it ends. Tap it at the table and Groupthink starts recording.

On a person's page, tap the Advisor button and choose Record to record a conversation with them.

Either way, Groupthink already knows who you're with. When you stop, Who is this about? opens with the event's people (or that person) already picked and In Person already set, so you only need to check it and tap Save. Guests on the invite who aren't in your Groupthink people aren't added. A recording saved this way, on the day of the event, also means Groupthink won't ask "How did it go?" about that event the next morning.

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 usually picks back up when the call ends. If it stays paused, tap Stop to keep what was recorded.

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.

When the phone can't transcribe it

Sometimes the phone can't turn a recording into text: Speech Recognition is off, the speech model for your language isn't installed, or the transcription gives up. The recording isn't lost. You'll see Couldn't transcribe this recording and a line saying your recording is saved and nothing was lost, and you can play it back or tap Try transcribing again.

If you're signed in and Groupthink can transcribe recordings for your account, you'll also see Transcribe on Groupthink. When it can't, the button isn't shown and nothing is sent. Tap it, choose who the recording is about, and tap Save. Groupthink sends that one recording to your account, transcribes it there, and files it to those people. The recording's page shows Groupthink is transcribing this recording while it works, and the transcript appears when it's done. The audio stays on your phone until the transcript is back. Nothing is sent unless you tap the button.

If it can't be done right now, the page says so and keeps the recording, for example Transcribing on Groupthink isn't available yet. Your recording is still on this iPhone. You can try again later.

Heads up: On-device summaries (the short recap above your transcript) use Apple Intelligence, which needs iOS 26 and a recent iPhone (15 Pro or newer). On iOS 18 to 25, or on older phones, sign in to Groupthink and Groupthink writes the summary instead (labelled Summary by Groupthink; only the text is sent, to Groupthink and its AI model provider, and Groupthink doesn't keep it). Signed out, you 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.

Throwing a recording away

If a recording was a false start, got cut off, or you just want to start over, tap Discard at the top left of the "Who is this about?" screen, then Discard recording to confirm. The audio and the transcript are deleted from your phone, and nothing is sent to Groupthink. This can't be undone.

Swiping the screen away doesn't discard anything: the recording is kept as a note to yourself.

Why it can't record phone calls

A lot of people try to record a phone call with Groupthink. It can't be done, and it's not something 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 no app can record until you hang up.

If you tap record while you're on a phone call, Groupthink doesn't start a recording. It explains that the call has the microphone and offers to write notes instead. This clears on its own when you hang up.

If you need a record of a call, write notes during it or jot the key points afterward: tap the Advisor button and choose Log. If your iPhone shows a record button on the call screen, you can record the call there. That recording lands in the Notes app, and you can share it to Groupthink from there.

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.