Troubleshooting the iPhone App

Common snags with the iPhone app and how to clear them. If your issue isn't here, see Known issues and limitations or email support@groupthink.com.

My recording had no transcription

Check first whether a phone call was involved. iOS doesn't let any app record call audio. If you tap record while you're on a phone call, Groupthink doesn't start a recording: it tells you it can't record during a call and offers to write notes instead. If a call comes in while you're recording, the recording pauses for the call. This isn't fixable in settings. See Recording conversations for what you can do instead.

If you weren't on a call, check that the microphone is on (Settings → On-device access → Microphone), and that there was audible speech. A very quiet or very noisy recording can transcribe to little or nothing.

It says the microphone is off

Groupthink can't record without microphone access. Open Settings → On-device access → Microphone and tap it to go to the app's iOS Settings page, then turn Microphone on. iOS won't re-ask once you've declined, which is why the app sends you straight there.

I don't see a summary, only a transcript

On-device summaries use Apple Intelligence, which needs iOS 26 and a recent iPhone (15 Pro or newer) with Apple Intelligence turned on. On iOS 18 to 25, or on older phones, you get the full transcript but not the summary. On iOS 18 to 25 the app says "Summaries on this iPhone need iOS 26 and Apple Intelligence." Nothing's broken: the summary is the part your phone can't generate. Sign in to Groupthink and it writes the summary for you instead, labelled Summary by Groupthink. If that fails, the card says why: too long (about an hour of talk is the limit), too many summaries for now, or no connection.

The app only shows a sign-in screen

You're signed out, or your session expired ("Your session expired. Sign in again to sync." under the buttons). Signed out, the app shows nothing but the sign-in screen. Tap Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google, or Sign in with email if your account has a password. Your recordings and notes on the phone come back when you sign in to the same account. See Sync and signing in.

Today won't load

If Today shows Taking longer than usual - still trying., the app is already trying again on its own, up to five more times. You don't need to do anything.

If it shows an error screen instead, the title tells you what happened:

• You're offline: turn on Wi-Fi or cellular data, then tap Try again.
• Couldn't reach Groupthink: the connection dropped. Check it, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink took too long: the request timed out. Wait a moment, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink couldn't build Today: the problem is on our side and usually clears on its own. Wait a moment, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink returned an error: retrying won't help. Email support@groupthink.com if it keeps happening.
• Something unexpected came back: tap Try again, and update the app if it keeps happening.
• Sign in again: your sign-in expired. Tap Sign in.

More detail on each screen is in If Today doesn't load on iPhone.

I used to sign in with an emailed link and can't find it

The iPhone app doesn't sign in with an emailed link. If you've always signed in that way, your account may not have a password yet. Set one from the app:

1. On the sign-in screen, or in Settings → Account, tap Sign in with email.
2. Enter your email address in Email, then tap Forgot password?.
3. The sheet says "If there's a Groupthink account for you@example.com, we've emailed it a link. Open it, choose a password, then come back here and sign in." Open the link in that email and choose a password.
4. Back in the app, enter your email and the new password, then tap Sign in.

If you use Apple or Google to sign in on the web, use that button in the app instead. See Sign in with email.

Interactions only shows what I captured on this phone

When you're signed out, the Interactions tab can only list what this phone recorded or saved, so it can look out of date if you mostly use Groupthink on the web or desktop. Sign in and the list switches to your whole account, including meetings and notes from other devices. See Your recent interactions.

If you're already signed in and something recent is missing, pull down on the list to refresh it.

My recent interactions won't load

When the list can't reach your account, a card at the top of the list says what happened. The captures on this phone stay listed underneath it either way.

• You're offline: turn on Wi-Fi or cellular data, then tap Try again.
• Couldn't reach Groupthink: the connection dropped. Check it, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink took too long: the request timed out. Wait a moment, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink couldn't load your interactions: the problem is on our side and usually clears on its own. Wait a moment, then tap Try again.
• Groupthink turned that request down: retrying won't help, so there's no Try again button. Email support@groupthink.com if it keeps happening.
• Something unexpected came back: tap Try again, and update the app if it keeps happening.

If your sign-in has expired, the app signs you out instead of showing a card. The list goes back to this phone's captures, and Today and People ask you to sign in again.

Someone I just texted isn't showing up

Texts don't come from your iPhone. They come from the Groupthink desktop app on a Mac, which reads your Messages history there. So a text shows up only after the Mac has read it. Check these in order:

1. Is the desktop app running on your Mac, with Messages in iCloud on? Your texts have to reach the Mac first.
2. Has it checked since you texted? It checks about a minute after it opens, then every 15 minutes while it's running. Opening the desktop app runs a check.
3. Did you pick that conversation? Only conversations you chose in the desktop app are read. See Import Your Messages History on a Mac.
4. Is their number on their Groupthink contact? Texts are matched by phone number or Apple ID email, not by name. If the number is missing, the conversation lands without a person. File it to them from the import, or add the number with Add phone on their page on the web or desktop.
5. Was it a group text? A group chat is read only if it has 8 or fewer other people and you ticked it in the import on your Mac. See Group texts.

A capture says it was saved but couldn't be read

In Conversations (open it from the Interactions tab), a capture Groupthink kept but couldn't read has an orange line under it. A recording you made on the phone shows the same line on its own page, under the title. The capture itself is safe. The line says what went wrong:

• Too long to read in one go. Send just the part you need.
• Couldn't read it just now. That one is on our side. Try again in a little while.
• No words found in it. The recording was silent or the file had no text. If it should have some, try a clearer version.
• Couldn't read it this time. We don't have a more specific reason. Capture it again, and email support@groupthink.com if it keeps happening.

My captures aren't syncing to my other devices

Cross-device sync runs through your private iCloud, so both devices need to be signed into the same iCloud account with iCloud Drive on. Check Settings → Sync in the app for the iCloud status. If it says no account is signed in, sign into iCloud from the iOS Settings app. Sync can take a couple of minutes to catch up.

If the note under Settings → Sync says your captures aren't reaching iCloud right now, they are still safe on this iPhone and Groupthink keeps trying on its own. If it says your iCloud storage is full, free up space in the iOS Settings app (tap your name, then iCloud); new captures back up once there's room. Changes from your other device show up when you open the app or bring it back to the screen.

The recording stopped when I locked the phone

It shouldn't. Recording is designed to continue through lock and app-switch, with a "Recording" entry on your lock screen. If it stopped, make sure you didn't tap Stop from the lock-screen entry, and that iOS didn't end it for low power. Try again and watch for the timer at the top of the screen.

A link wouldn't ingest

Link ingest works for articles, posts, and reference pages, but not for videos, PDFs, or pages behind a login. When a page can't be read, Groupthink saves the link itself so you don't lose it. See Ingest a link.

Still stuck? Email support@groupthink.com with your app version (Settings → About).