1. Check the consent rule, then say you're recording.
Recording laws depend on where you are. In the United States, federal law and most states let you record a conversation you are part of. Some states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Washington, require everyone in the conversation to agree. Outside the US the rules differ again, and a company or venue can have its own policy on top.
The simple habit that works everywhere: say it at the start. "I'd like to record this so I have an accurate record. Is that OK with everyone?" Wait for the yes, and keep it on the recording, so there is no doubt later about whether people knew.
For the detail, read two-party consent, explained and recording across state lines. None of this is legal advice; when the stakes are high, ask a lawyer where you work.
2. Put the phone flat on the table, in the middle.
- Flat and screen up, roughly the same distance from everyone who will speak. If one person is quiet, move it a little closer to them.
- Keep the bottom edge clear. That is where the iPhone's main microphone is. Don't cover it with papers, a notebook or a case flap.
- Away from noise. Coffee machines, air vents, fans and a laptop playing sound all end up louder on the recording than they seem in the room.
- Not where people tap. Pens, cups and fingers on the table next to the phone come through as thumps. A napkin or a folded cloth under the phone helps on a hard table.
3. Get the phone ready before the meeting.
- Battery. For anything over an hour, start charged or plug the phone in.
- A Focus. Turn on Do Not Disturb or a work Focus so calls and notification sounds don't interrupt the meeting.
- A microphone for big rooms. Around a large table, or in a loud café, a Bluetooth lavalier or a USB-C microphone placed near the speakers does better than the phone alone. AirPods mostly pick up the person wearing them, so they suit a one-on-one more than a group.
4. Start recording, then leave the phone alone.
Start the recording before people settle in, so the first minutes aren't lost. Then lock the phone and put it down. Every time someone picks it up, the recording hears it.
5. Afterwards, know who said what.
This is where most recordings go to waste. A single audio file, or a transcript that runs everyone's words together, is hard to use a week later. What you usually need is "what did she say about the budget?", and that takes a transcript where each line has a name on it.
How Bonfiyah does it.
Bonfiyah is built for exactly this: meetings in a room, recorded by the phone on the table, with no meeting bot.
- Open Bonfiyah and tap Record. You can name the conversation and pick the calendar event first, or do it later.
- Lock the phone and set it down. The Lock Screen shows the recording while it runs, so you can stop it without unlocking. Bluetooth lavaliers, USB-C microphones and AirPods work too.
- Stop when the meeting ends. Bonfiyah transcribes the recording in the cloud and separates each speaker's voice.
- Put a name to each voice. On Pro, Bonfiyah recognizes those voices in your later meetings, from the sound of each voice rather than the words, so the next transcript arrives with the names already on it.
- Read the summary, or search. On Pro, every recording gets an AI summary, and you can search all your meetings by what was said or by who said it, on iPhone, iPad or Mac.
Bonfiyah also keeps track of each person's consent, on every plan. When you sign up and accept the Terms, you agree to get the consent the law requires from the people you record. Recordings go to the cloud to be transcribed; the transcript is deleted from the transcription provider as soon as it is made, the original audio is deleted from Bonfiyah's servers within seven days, and transcripts are never used to train AI. More in how consent works in the app and the privacy commitments.
New accounts get 14 days of Pro and Pro AI, no card needed. After that, the Free plan records 120 minutes a month on one device, with the speakers separated in each transcript.
