Get offered notes when a call starts
Last updated Checked against NoteOwl 1.0.0
When a call app is open and your microphone is in use, NoteOwl asks Scribe this meeting? at the top of your screen: click Start scribing to record the meeting, or Not now. Choose whether NoteOwl offers, starts recording on its own or does nothing in Settings → Auto-Context, under Offer to scribe meetings.
Recording meetings is part of NoteOwl Pro, which you can try free for 7 days: see start the 7-day NoteOwl Pro trial.
How does NoteOwl know a call has started?
Every few seconds, NoteOwl checks whether one of the call apps below is open and whether your microphone is in use. When both are true, it treats that as a call and offers once. It records nothing until you click Start scribing, unless you've chosen Auto-start.
| App | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Zoom | Zoom calls |
| Microsoft Teams | Teams calls and meetings |
| FaceTime | FaceTime calls |
| Webex | Webex meetings |
| Discord | Discord calls |
| Slack | Slack huddles |
| Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Microsoft Edge | Calls in a browser, such as Google Meet |
NoteOwl 1.0.0 looks only for these apps. It's a best guess: NoteOwl checks that one of these apps is open, not which app is using the microphone. So with Safari open, recording a voice memo can also bring the offer. Your own dictation in NoteOwl never does, and NoteOwl doesn't offer while it's dictating or already recording a meeting.
Choose Offer, Auto-start or Off
- Open NoteOwl and click Settings in the sidebar. Settings opens on the Auto-Context tab.
- Find Offer to scribe meetings, below Spoken language.
- Click the menu beside it. It shows Offer until you change it.
- Choose Off, Offer or Auto-start. NoteOwl uses the new setting the next time it notices a call.
| Setting | What happens when NoteOwl notices a call |
|---|---|
| Offer (the default) | NoteOwl asks Scribe this meeting? and records only if you click Start scribing |
| Auto-start | NoteOwl starts recording the meeting straight away, without asking |
| Off | Nothing. You start every meeting yourself, with ⌥ Space or Start Meeting |
What happens when NoteOwl offers?
The NoteOwl panel opens at the top of your screen with Scribe this meeting?, the name of the app you're in, and a reminder that the meeting is transcribed on your Mac and nothing leaves it.
- Start scribing starts recording the meeting, just as ⌥ Space does. The panel then shows the meeting with its clock and a Stop button.
- Not now closes the offer. NoteOwl doesn't offer again during that call.
- Doing nothing is the same as Not now: the offer closes by itself after 20 seconds, and nothing is recorded.
If NoteOwl can't start the meeting, for example because it's already busy with something else that uses the microphone, the panel says why instead of recording. To stop a meeting you started from the offer, press ⌥ Space or click Stop. See record a meeting on your Mac for what NoteOwl records and what you get at the end.
When does NoteOwl offer again?
After the call ends. Once NoteOwl has offered, or started recording with Auto-start, it waits until your microphone is no longer in use before it can offer again. So you get one offer per call, however long the call runs.
What should I know before choosing Auto-start?
With Auto-start, NoteOwl records every call it notices without asking you first, including ones you'd rather not keep. Stop a recording you don't want with ⌥ Space or Stop.
NoteOwl doesn't join the call, so the people you're meeting with can't see that you're taking notes. Tell them at the start: see record a meeting on your Mac. To record the other people's voices, NoteOwl also needs the macOS Screen Recording permission: see a meeting is missing other people's voices.
Common questions
Does NoteOwl record a call without asking?
Only if you choose Auto-start. With the default setting, Offer, NoteOwl asks Scribe this meeting? and records only when you click Start scribing. With Off, NoteOwl never offers, and you start every meeting yourself.
Why did NoteOwl offer to take notes when I wasn't on a call?
NoteOwl offers when one of the call apps it knows is open while your microphone is in use by any app. With a browser open, using the microphone for something else can look like a call. Click Not now, or set Offer to scribe meetings to Off.
Does NoteOwl call detection work on NoteOwl Free?
NoteOwl can still offer on NoteOwl Free, but recording meetings is part of NoteOwl Pro. On Free, Start scribing and Auto-start show what NoteOwl Pro adds instead of recording. You can try NoteOwl Pro free for 7 days.
Record a meeting on your Mac
Record any call on your Mac with NoteOwl and no bot. Press ⌥Space or Start Meeting; the transcript, summary and action items are written when you stop.
Summaries, decisions and action items
NoteOwl writes a meeting summary with key decisions and action items when you stop. Rewrite it in any of 22 templates and track action items as commitments.