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Record in the app

You don't need the browser extension — or a second device — to capture your own voice. minutes can record your microphone directly in the web app, on a computer or a phone, and turn it into a normal meeting: the same live transcript, translation, export, and sharing as everything else.

This is the third way to capture in minutes, alongside the Chrome extension (a browser tab's audio) and uploading a file. All three produce the same kind of meeting.

It's your microphone only (Host mic)

In-app recording is a single-source, mic-only capture — it records the Host mic, your own voice. It can't capture a browser tab's audio or an online call; for that, use the Chrome extension, which captures the Online stream (and can add your mic as a second track). In the app, recording is just you and your microphone.

Where to find it​

  • On a computer, open the web app. In the Transcriptions list header, on the left, there's a ● Record button right next to ↑ Upload.
  • On a phone, the Transcriptions screen shows a prominent ● Record action at the top (with Upload audio file just below it).

Either way, Record is the in-app microphone recorder. Upload is for files you already have.

Recording needs a secure context (HTTPS)

Capturing your microphone in the browser requires a secure context — your deployed site over HTTPS (https://minutes.your-org.com). It won't work over plain http:// (other than http://localhost for local development). If your admin set up a real domain with TLS, you're good. See Getting started → Deploy for the operator's side.

The recording flow​

Recording walks through a few quick steps.

1. Tap Record and grant the microphone​

The first time, your browser asks for microphone permission. Allow it. (The recorder captures your mic silently — it's never played back, so it can't echo.)

If the mic is blocked — you denied it earlier, or your browser has it off for this site — minutes shows a short prompt to re-enable it rather than failing silently. On iOS that's Settings → minutes → Microphone; in a desktop browser, open the site's permission settings, turn the microphone on, then reopen the recorder. (You can always upload an audio file instead.)

2. Set up the recording​

Before recording starts, a short setup step lets you check your input and pick a couple of options:

  • Level test — a live meter. Speak and watch it move; it reads picking up audio once it hears you. This confirms your browser is using the microphone you expect before you commit.
  • Name (optional) — give the recording a title up front (for example, Standup note). Leave it blank and it's named after the date and time; you can rename it later anyway.
  • Echo cancellation — off by default. The browser's echo-canceller can clip your voice, especially on headphones. Leave it off unless you're recording out loud near speakers and hear problems; then turn it on.
  • Silence-suspend — on by default. During sustained silence the recorder stops streaming to Soniox (so you're billed for fewer seconds) and resumes the instant you speak again, with a short pre-roll so your first word isn't clipped. Your timestamps still track real elapsed time — the dropped silence is added back on the server, so nothing shifts. Leave it on; only turn it off if you find very quiet speech getting dropped. (This is the same feature the extension's Host mic uses.)

3. Record​

Press ● Record and capture begins. You get a live view with:

  • An elapsed timer.
  • A level meter so you can see it's still hearing you.
  • A Stop button.
  • On a phone, a "Screen stays on while recording" note — minutes holds a screen wake lock so your phone doesn't sleep mid-recording. (If you switch away and come back, the lock re-acquires.)
  • The live transcript, streaming in as you speak — and the translation too, if you have translation on.
Keep the page open while recording

Recording runs in the page, so keep the app open (and the screen awake) for the length of the recording. On a phone the wake lock handles the screen for you; just don't close the tab or the app.

4. Stop — and you have a meeting​

Press Stop. The recording is finalized into an ordinary meeting:

  • On a computer, you're dropped straight into it in the three-column view.
  • On a phone, you get a Recording saved screen with Open transcript → and Record another.

From there it's a normal meeting — read and translate it, copy the text, export it as txt / md / json, and share a read-only link — exactly like a captured call or an upload.

You still need your keys

Recording transcribes with your own Soniox key (region included), and translates with your own Anthropic key — the same keys as everywhere else, set under Settings → API keys. See Signing in & your settings for which key does what.

Install minutes on your phone (PWA)​

The web app is an installable Progressive Web App (PWA) — add it to your home screen and it opens full-screen, like a native app, which makes "record on your phone" feel first-class. It still runs entirely against your own minutes server.

iPhone / iPad (Safari)​

Safari has no automatic install button, so do it from the Share menu:

  1. Open the app in Safari (your https:// server URL).
  2. Tap the Share icon.
  3. Choose Add to Home Screen, then Add.

minutes shows a one-time hint reminding you of these steps; you can dismiss it. After that, launch minutes from its home-screen icon and it runs full-screen.

Android (Chrome)​

Chrome offers a built-in prompt:

  1. Open the app in Chrome (your https:// server URL).
  2. Accept the Install prompt when it appears (or use the browser menu's Install app / Add to Home screen).

The installed app launches full-screen from your home screen.

Install from the HTTPS site

Installing — and recording — needs the secure (HTTPS) site. The PWA won't install over plain http://. If you're testing against http://localhost in development, install and capture won't be offered. Use your real deployed domain.

On a computer vs. a phone​

Recording works in both desktop and mobile browsers over HTTPS — the steps and options are identical (level test, name, echo cancellation, silence-suspend). The presentation differs:

  • Desktop — Record sits in the Transcriptions list header. The live recording shows as a small floating bar (timer + Stop) while you keep using the app; the transcript fills in the main column.
  • Phone — Record is a full-screen flow (setup → live → saved), with the on-screen timer, meter, live transcript, and the screen-wake-lock note. Installing minutes as a PWA makes this the smoothest.