Everything ThoughtRecorder can do.

First launch

The app asks for microphone (required for recording) and location (optional — used to tag where each recording was made). Both can be changed later in iOS Settings → ThoughtRecorder.

Sign in to iCloud

Optional but recommended. With iCloud enabled, your recordings, notes, and settings follow you across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.

Start a recording

Tap the red Record button on Home. The timer and live audio level start immediately.

While recording you can

• Tap Marker to drop a bookmark at the current moment (e.g. to flag the answer to a question, or a key decision).
• Switch apps freely — recording continues in the background.
• Take a phone call — recording pauses, then resumes automatically when the call ends.

Stop the recording

Tap Stop. The recording saves immediately.

Tag it after recording (optional). If “Tag after recording” is enabled in Settings, a brief sheet asks for categories and a keyword before the item lands in your feed.

Create a note

Tap New Note on Home. Type freely.

Add structure

A note can be a plain doc or a task list (tap the checklist icon in the title bar). Items in a task list can be ticked off; the count updates on the feed row.

Note details

Like recordings, notes can carry a title, keyword, categories, location, and pinned/flag status.

Categories

Tag any item with one or more categories (e.g. Meeting, Idea, Manuscript). Defaults are provided; you can add custom categories from the category browser (tap the folder icon in the Home toolbar).

The category pill bar sits at the top of Home for one-tap access to any category — sorted by how many items use them, most-used first. It hides automatically when you focus the search field.

Keywords

Type a short keyword on any item (e.g. Q4-planning). Tap the keyword chip on a row to filter the feed to all items sharing that keyword.

Pin and flag

• Pin keeps an item at the top of the feed regardless of date.
• Flag color (none / red / orange / green) adds a small dot to the icon for visual sorting.

Search

Tap the search field. Search runs across titles, transcripts, note bodies, keywords, and categories. A hit count appears next to the field; arrows step through matches.

ThoughtRecorder offers three lenses on what you've captured: a calendar view, a map, and a structured diary tracker.

Insights (calendar + stats)

Tap the insights icon (chart bar) on Home. Shows:

• Total recording and note counts.
• Total recorded duration.
• Current streak (consecutive days with at least one capture).
• A calendar with dots on each day you recorded or wrote. Tap a day to see that day's items inline; tap an item to open it.

Useful for “what did I capture last Thursday?” or “have I been keeping up?” at a glance.

Locations map

Tap the map icon on Home. Every recording or note that had location enabled appears as a pin on a map of where you captured it. Tap a pin to see the title; tap through to the item itself. Great for travel journals or fieldwork — you remember where you were before you remember what you said.

Dailies (diary tracker)

Tap the dailies icon on Home. ThoughtRecorder can extract structured daily measurements from your transcripts — sleep hours, steps, mood scale, water intake, anything you decide to track.

• Define your activities once (name, type — duration / yes-no / count / scale 1–6, optional unit).
• Speak them into a daily recording naturally (“slept seven hours, drank four glasses of water, walked thirty minutes”).
• On-device AI extracts the values into a structured day card.
• Browse by day, week, month, or custom range. Export Dailies as CSV for spreadsheet analysis or to feed into other health/journaling apps.

All extraction is on-device — your daily logs never leave your phone.

Recently Deleted

Soft-deleted items (anything you swiped to delete) sit in a 30-day bin before permanent removal. Tap the trash icon on Home to see the bin. Tap any item to restore, or Empty to permanently delete everything inside.

Tap the mic icon on a recording row to start playback in a small player at the bottom of the screen. The player auto-queues the visible feed — back/forward skips between recordings.

In the recording detail view

• Play / pause — center button.
• « and » — skip 15 seconds back / forward.
• Speed pill — 0.5× to 2×. The pill turns blue when set to anything other than 1×.
• Scrubber — drag to any position. Marker ticks appear as small lines along the scrubber; tap a marker tick (or the marker row below) to jump to that moment.

Recordings are auto-transcribed in the background by default. The chosen engine determines speed, accuracy, and whether the audio leaves your device.

Engine choices

Recommended: Enhanced — best of both worlds (high quality + on-device privacy).

Re-transcribe with a different engine

On any recording detail, tap the engine pill row (the small chips showing Enhanced, Whisper, AssemblyAI). The recording is re-transcribed with the chosen engine; the result replaces the previous transcript.

Setting up cloud engines

Go to Settings → Transcription and enter your OpenAI or AssemblyAI API key. The pill for that engine then appears in detail views. See the Whisper setup guide or the AssemblyAI setup guide.

Edit the transcript

Tap Edit on the transcript section. Make changes, tap Done. Edits stay local; they don't affect the original audio.

Summaries (on-device AI)

For long recordings and notes, ThoughtRecorder can generate a summary using Apple Intelligence on supported devices — fully on-device, no data sent anywhere.

• One-line summary — auto-generated for items above a length threshold, shown under the title in the feed if “Show one-line summary” is enabled in Settings.
• Full summary — open any recording or note, tap Summarize in the actions row. A summary sheet appears with the result; copy or save to the item.

Summaries are best-effort and require Apple Intelligence support on your device.

One of ThoughtRecorder's most powerful features: every recording or note can be exported in the format the next tool in your workflow wants — with no manual re-typing or re-formatting. The export menu lives in the share icon on any recording or note detail view, and at the feed level for bulk exports.

Document formats

For sharing the content (transcript + metadata, with comments if applicable):

• PDF — formatted, paginated, ready to email.
• Markdown — for docs apps (Obsidian, Notion import), GitHub, or pasting into AI assistants as conversation input.
• RTF — for Word, Pages, any rich-text editor.
• Plain TXT — universal fallback.
• HTML — for blog posts, web embeds.
• Subtitles (SRT) — drop into a video editor to caption the original audio.

Spreadsheet

• CSV — every field for every item, with separate columns for comments. Open in Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets for sorting, filtering, and analysis.

Audio

For the file itself:

• M4A — the original format, lossless and small.
• WAV — uncompressed, for archival or maximum-compatibility delivery.
• WAV BWF — Broadcast Wave with embedded metadata (timestamp, location, recording device). The format video and broadcast post-production workflows expect.
• Audio ZIP — multiple recordings packaged with their metadata. M4A or WAV BWF flavor.

Markers → video editors

If you tapped markers during recording, those markers can be exported as project files the editor reads directly:

• Markers (DaVinci Resolve EDL) — drag the .edl onto a Resolve timeline; markers appear at the right timestamps.
• Markers (Final Cut FCPXML) — open in Final Cut Pro; markers land on the imported audio clip.
• Markers (Premiere XMEML) — for Adobe Premiere via the XMEML import path.
• Markers (CSV) — generic format that Markerbox, editingtools.io, and most DAWs (Logic, Reaper) accept directly.

No more scrubbing through your own audio to find the quotable moment — your tapped markers go straight into the timeline.

Chapters → YouTube and podcasts

• Chapters (YouTube) — a formatted timestamp list ready to paste into your YouTube video description; YouTube auto-builds the chapter navigation bar. ThoughtRecorder validates the list before sharing and warns if it won't meet YouTube's rules (at least 3 chapters, each ≥ 10s apart, first line at 00:00) — so silent rejections don't waste your time.
• The same list works in podcast hosts like Transistor and Buzzsprout (paste into their chapter editor field). For Apple Podcasts and Spotify, your podcast host needs to embed chapter metadata in the audio file — check whether your host supports chapter import from pasted timestamps.

Bulk export from the feed

From Home → toolbar → export sheet, you can export a curated subset of your library:

• Item type: Recordings only / Notes only / Both
• Source device: All / Phone only / Watch only / Desktop only
• Sharing state: All / Shared from me / Received

Combine filters — e.g. “all Watch recordings I shared, last month, as Markdown” — for one-shot bulk dumps when delivering a project or archiving a phase.

Common workflows

• Filmmakers on set: Record a live voice memo on the Watch while the camera rolls, tap a marker the moment a directorial idea, continuity issue, or alt-take suggestion lands — hands-free, no break in the shoot. Back in editorial, export Markers (DaVinci Resolve EDL / Final Cut FCPXML / Premiere XMEML) and drop the file onto the edit timeline. Every on-set marker appears at the exact frame, with your spoken note attached. No more scrubbing through dailies to find “the bit where I said try a wider lens.”
• Multi-speaker recordings (panels, meetings, podcasts, interviews): Record the whole conversation, transcribe with Enhanced (WhisperKit + FluidAudio) or AssemblyAI — both identify who said what and label the transcript with Speaker 1, Speaker 2… Rename the speakers to their real names in the detail view; the labels apply everywhere the transcript appears, including exports. Particularly strong on roundtable interviews, panel discussions, and multi-host podcasts where “wait, who said that?” is the bottleneck of going back through the recording.
• Interview prep → publish: Record interview on phone with Enhanced or AssemblyAI for speaker diarization — the transcript comes back with interviewer and interviewee labelled separately. Tap markers on quotable moments mid-conversation. Afterwards, rename the speakers, export Markdown to Notion for the write-up (every quote already attributed), and YouTube chapters for the video version.
• Court / legal prep: Record on phone → tap markers at key moments → export Markers (CSV) → cross-reference in a spreadsheet → export PDF transcript for the file.
• Podcast production: Record interview → mark chapter breaks → export DaVinci EDL for the video version, WAV BWF for audio post, and Chapters for YouTube and your podcast host.
• Lecture / research: Record lectures → annotate with markers → export Markdown to feed into ChatGPT/Claude for follow-up Q&A, summary, or paper drafting.
• Field journalism: Record on Watch → exports auto-sync to phone → bulk-export “Watch only, this week” as CSV for archive and Markdown for story drafting.

Share an item

Tap the share icon (arrow up out of a square) on a recording or note. Choose recipients (other ThoughtRecorder users), and the item appears in their feed.

Receive a shared item

Items shared with you appear in your feed with a green From [Sender] label and a blue NEW pill. Tap to open. The pill clears once you've opened the item.

Comments

On any shared item, tap the comment bubble icon in the detail view to open a thread. Type a reply, tap send. All participants in the share see the same conversation.

Bubble color cues on the Home row:

• Blue bubble = there's a thread, no new comments.
• Green bubble = a participant has posted a comment you haven't seen yet.

The green hint clears when you open the thread on any of your own devices.

View status (the eye icon)

For items you've shared out, a small eye icon appears next to each recipient's name when they've opened the item. Recipients only see view status for themselves, not for each other.

Top-of-Home activity banner

When someone comments on one of your items, a green banner appears at the top of Home: “Anne commented on [item title]”. Tap to jump to the item. Tap the × to dismiss the banner (a new comment on the same thread will bring it back).

Items, settings, and viewed-status sync between your devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac) when they're signed in to the same iCloud account.

What syncs

• Recordings (metadata, transcript, markers, categories)
• Notes
• Categories and custom category list
• Pinned/flag state
• Which comments and items you've already seen
• Backup ledger

What's typical

• New items appear on the other device within 30 seconds to a couple of minutes.
• Edits propagate similarly.

If devices drift

Go to Settings → Diagnostics → Cross-device sync to see the inventory of each device and what differs. You can delete locally to match the other device.

Backup is separate from sync. Sync keeps your devices in step; backup creates an independent copy of the audio + metadata for safekeeping.

iCloud Drive backup (recommended, on by default)

Files are uploaded to your iCloud Drive, organized by year and category. Other apps can't read them; only ThoughtRecorder restores from this folder.

Google Drive backup (optional)

Go to Settings → Backup and connect your Google account. Files are uploaded to a ThoughtRecorder Backup folder you can open in Drive.

Auto-backup

On by default. Backups run when you background the app, after each new recording, and on app launch. The state is shown in Settings → Backup.

Restore

Go to Settings → Backup and choose Restore from iCloud or Restore from Google Drive. Restores any items the backup has that this device is missing — it does not overwrite existing items.

Reset backup

Use only if backup state is corrupted or you want to start over: Settings → Backup → Reset iCloud backup / Reset Google Drive backup. This wipes the backup folder, then re-uploads everything from this device.

Your profile

Go to Settings → Sharing & Profile → Edit profile. Set a display name, photo, bio, and optional links (website, LinkedIn, etc.). When you share an item, recipients see your profile.

Contacts

Go to Settings → Sharing & Profile → Contacts. Lists the people you've shared with or received from. Tap any to see their profile and your shared history.

ThoughtRecorder lives in more places than just the main app — so the inevitable “I need to record this RIGHT NOW” moment never has to wait for you to find the icon.

Apple Watch app

A standalone Watch app for capture, with pause/resume and Marker support. Recordings made on the Watch hand off automatically to the iPhone app over Watch Connectivity — no manual sync. Hands-free recording via Double Tap on Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 with watchOS 11+.

Watch complication

Pin ThoughtRecorder as a complication on your watch face for one-tap launch — no scrolling through the app list when the moment hits.

Lock Screen widget

Add the Quick Record widget to your iPhone Lock Screen. One tap from the lock screen starts a recording immediately, no Face ID dance.

Live Activity

While recording, an interactive Live Activity appears on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island showing the elapsed timer. It stays visible without unlocking your phone, so you can confirm at a glance that you're still recording.

Siri / Shortcuts

“Hey Siri, start a recording in ThoughtRecorder” kicks off a recording without opening the app — useful while driving, cooking, or whenever hands and eyes are busy.

You can also build custom workflows in the Shortcuts app using ThoughtRecorder's intents.

Settings is organized into category sub-pages:

• Recording — microphone choice, audio format, sample rate, haptics, tag-after-recording toggle.
• Transcription — engine defaults, auto-transcribe, language, API keys.
• Backup — iCloud Drive, Google Drive, auto-backup, restore.
• Sharing & Profile — your profile, contacts, notification settings.
• Appearance & Privacy — theme (light/dark/system), app lock (Face ID/PIN), privacy policy.
• Report Issue or Suggestion — opens an email with a debug-log snippet attached.
• Diagnostics — see the next section.

Settings → Diagnostics holds the recovery tools you hopefully never need.

View Debug Log

A scrollable log of recent app activity (recording state, sync events, backup status). Auto-rotates at 2 MB. Useful when you tap Report Issue — the relevant section is included automatically.

Cross-device sync

Shows the inventory of this device vs other devices on your iCloud account. If items differ, you can delete locally to match the peer.

Reset CloudKit Sync

For when one device stops receiving changes from the other(s). Re-mounts the local CloudKit-backed store; no data is deleted, but pending changes are re-attempted. Try a normal app restart first — that often resolves the issue without needing this.

If reset doesn't help: iOS Settings → your name → iCloud → Apps Using iCloud → ThoughtRecorder — toggle OFF, wait 30 seconds, ON. That's the iOS-level reset and is the most thorough recovery available.

• All audio recording stays on your device unless you choose a cloud transcription engine (Whisper or AssemblyAI) or share an item with someone.
• iCloud backup is on your own iCloud account — no third party sees your data.
• No analytics or third-party SDKs. The app doesn't track you.
• API keys for Whisper/AssemblyAI are stored in the iOS Keychain, encrypted at rest.
• Google Drive integration uses the drive.file scope — the app can only see files it created.
• Full details: Settings → Appearance & Privacy → Privacy Policy, or the online privacy policy.