Guides
Transcription without the cloud, explained
We make Fieldnoter, an on-device transcription app, and along the way we wrote down what we learned. Some of these are step-by-step guides to the app, some weigh it against the alternatives, and some are just the background we wish we had before we started.
For your work
How the on-device approach plays out in a few lines of work.
Fieldnoter for consultants
Use caseScoping calls and stakeholder workshops, captured from prep to follow-up without an upload.
Fieldnoter for lawyers
Use caseClient conversations and instructions, kept for the file and off the cloud.
Fieldnoter for journalists
Use caseSource interviews that stay on your phone, from capture to a quote you can check.
Fieldnoter for students and researchers
Use caseLectures to study from, and research interviews that stay private.
How to use the app
The core workflow, one task at a time.
Record and transcribe a meeting
How-toFrom the first tap to a finished transcript, all on the device.
Transcribe an existing audio or video file
How-toBring in a recording you already have and transcribe it on your phone.
Label the speakers in a transcript
How-toGive each voice a real name that carries through every export.
Get a summary and action items
How-toTurn a transcript into a short summary and a list of next steps.
Export a transcript: TXT, SRT, VTT, JSON, CSV
How-toPick the right format and send the text where it needs to go.
Background and decisions
Why the cloud gets blocked, how the on-device route works, and where it does and does not fit.
Your people already run meetings through AI
GuideWhat the research shows about unapproved AI use at work, and what it means for confidential conversations.
Your AI notetaker got blocked at work. Now what?
GuideWhy IT blocks cloud meeting tools, and the routes that pass a cloud ban.
Cloud notetakers blocked? Your options compared
ComparisonCloud services, the iPhone's built-in transcription, Whisper yourself, and on-device apps, weighed on the same terms.
Fieldnoter vs Apple Voice Memos
ComparisonWhen the free built-in app is genuinely enough, and when a dedicated app earns its price.
Is AI meeting transcription GDPR-compliant?
GuideProcessors, data transfers, and the CLOUD Act, cloud versus on-device.
How on-device transcription works
ExplainerThe speech models, the Neural Engine, and the honest limits.
How accurate is on-device transcription?
ExplainerWhat actually drives accuracy, and how to test it on your own meetings.
Transcribing confidential interviews
GuideA workflow where the recording never leaves your phone.
Fact sheet for IT and security teams
Fact sheetData flows and network behavior on a single page that prints to A4.