Recording issues

Having trouble with recording or transcription? Here are the most common problems and how to fix them.

"Recording appears to be silent"

TellDone detected no speech in your recording. This usually means the microphone didn't pick up your voice.

1. Check that TellDone has microphone permission - go to your device Settings > TellDone > Microphone and make sure it's enabled
2. Make sure you're not covering the microphone with your hand or a case
3. Hold the phone at a natural distance - about 15-30 cm (6-12 inches) from your mouth
4. Try recording in a quieter environment

tip

If you just granted microphone permission, restart TellDone and try again.

"Audio file is corrupt or unreadable"

The recording file was damaged during saving.

1. Try recording again
2. Check that your device has enough free storage space
3. If the problem repeats, restart TellDone and try once more

"Recording exceeds maximum duration"

Each plan has a maximum recording length:

Plan	Max duration
Free	5 minutes
Basic	10 minutes
Pro	60 minutes
Ultra	90 minutes

If you hit the limit, TellDone stops the recording automatically. The portion already recorded is still processed normally.

tip

Need longer recordings? Upgrade your plan, or split your thoughts into multiple shorter recordings.

"Speech-to-text minutes quota exceeded"

You've used all your transcription minutes for the month. Your STT quota resets on the 1st of each month.

Plan	STT minutes/month
Free	60
Basic	300
Pro	600
Ultra	1,500

What you can do:

• Use text input instead - tap Text note on the Record screen. Text notes go through the same AI analysis and don't use STT minutes.
• Wait for the quota to reset next month
• Upgrade your plan for more minutes

"Monthly notes quota exceeded"

You've reached the maximum number of notes for your current plan this month.

Plan	Notes/month
Free	50
Basic	300
Pro	1,000
Ultra	Unlimited

Your existing notes are safe - you just can't create new ones until the quota resets on the 1st of next month, or you upgrade.

"Failed to process the recording"

Something went wrong while analyzing your recording.

1. Check your internet connection - processing always needs one, even with Apple Speech Recognition turned on (the recording is still uploaded for AI analysis)
2. Try recording again
3. If the error persists, restart TellDone

note

If you're offline, TellDone saves the recording locally and retries automatically when you're back online (up to 3 attempts).

Recording is too short

TellDone automatically rejects recordings shorter than 2 seconds. This filter prevents accidental taps from creating empty notes.

If your recording was rejected, record again and speak for a bit longer.

Mixed language in one recording

TellDone works best when you stick to one language per recording. Mixing languages in a single recording reduces transcription accuracy.

If you regularly speak in two languages:

• Set your main transcription language in Settings > Transcription language
• Record separate notes for each language
• You can change the transcription language anytime - it applies to future recordings

info

Your transcription language and your app interface language are independent. You can have an English interface while transcribing in Spanish, for example.

My summaries come out in the wrong language

Before the latest update, the app's UI language and your voice language were tied together. Now they're independent, so you can have an English UI and Spanish voice notes (or any other combination).

1. Open Settings and tap Transcription language
2. Pick the language you actually speak in
3. Tap Continue to save

Future notes will be transcribed and summarized in that language. The UI stays in whatever your iPhone's system language is.

tip

Reports also follow your Transcription language setting. See Report issues for more.

My processing badge is stuck

Sometimes a note shows a "Processing" badge that doesn't go away. Two common causes:

• The WebSocket connection dropped (for example, your phone slept or switched networks)
• A backend stage took longer than usual

What to do:

1. Wait 2-3 minutes - the app reconciles status automatically in the background
2. Reload the app (swipe up to close, then reopen)
3. If the badge is still stuck after a reload, open Activity from Settings - you'll see the exact stage and any error message

note

If Activity shows an error, share the message with support from Settings > Help & Support > Contact Support.

Apple Watch stops recording at 10 minutes

If you're on Free, 5 minutes is the plan limit. On Basic, it's 10 minutes. Neither plan supports chained segments.

Pro and Ultra record up to 60 minutes total on the Watch through chained 10-minute segments - the Watch prompts you with "Continue" or "Finish" about 20 seconds before each segment ends. Even on Ultra the Watch tops out at 60 minutes; the full 90-minute length is iPhone only.

If you're on Pro or Ultra and don't see the Continue / Finish prompt at around 9:40:

1. Force-quit the TellDone app on the Watch
2. Reopen it from the Watch Home screen
3. Try recording again

Recording doesn't start with the Action Button

If your iPhone has the Action Button and TellDone doesn't start recording when you press it:

1. Open iPhone Settings > Action Button
2. Choose TellDone
3. Pick the action "Start recording"

The TellDone app must have been opened at least once after install for the Action Button to work.

Background noise affecting accuracy

For the best transcription results:

• Record in a quiet environment when possible
• Speak clearly and at a normal pace
• Hold the phone closer to your mouth in noisy settings
• Avoid recording near loud music, machinery, or crowds
• Consider using earphones with a microphone for better voice isolation

tip

If you prefer your speech to be transcribed on your device rather than by a third-party speech service, turn on Apple Speech Recognition in Settings. Your audio is still uploaded to the server for playback and AI analysis, and on-device transcription can be less accurate for some languages.