When recording goes wrong
Narrowed down by symptom. Most of the time the cause is the state of the device or where it was sitting, not the recording settings.
Nothing is being recorded
The input level never moves
Another app is probably holding the microphone — close call and conferencing apps completely. If that does not help, check that microphone permission is still granted. A connected Bluetooth device may also be selected as the input.
The record button does nothing
Check free space; recording will not start when it is low. Another capture already in progress also blocks a new one.
Recording stops partway
It had stopped without me noticing
In rough order of frequency:
- An incoming call takes the microphone. Airplane mode prevents this
- Free space — WAV consumes hundreds of MB per hour
- Another app — opening a conferencing app moves the microphone
- The 4GB ceiling that WAV imposes; recording stops automatically
Interval splitting limits the damage to one segment when something does go wrong.
A Bluetooth microphone keeps cutting out
Every dropout interrupts the recording. For long sessions, a wired microphone or the built-in one is safer.
The audio is too quiet or unclear
One person is much quieter than the rest
The phone was too far from them. Next time, move it past the midpoint toward the quieter speaker. For a recording you already have, a heavier model sometimes recovers it.
Too much background noise
Air vents, projector fans and traffic are the usual sources. Removing them afterwards is hard, so deal with it by placement. Flat on a table also picks up pages and pens.
Loud parts distort
The phone was too close to the source. Move it back, or record in 32-bit float so the level survives being adjusted later.
Transcription problems
Transcription will not start
No speech model is installed. Fetch one from the Transcribe tab. They are large, so check Wi-Fi and free space first.
Accuracy is poor
What helps, in order — changing models comes last:
- Get the microphone closer to the speaker
- Move away from noise sources
- Record uncompressed WAV
- Switch to a heavier model
Names come out wrong
People, companies and product names fail often. That is the limit of recognition, so note them down separately and replace them afterwards.
Playback and sharing
Playback shows an error
You cannot play back while a recording is running. Stop it first — the microphone and playback cannot be held at the same time.
The person I shared with cannot play the file
Check that the recording had actually finished. A file still being written is incomplete and will not play on the receiving end.
Nobody appears in AirDrop
Check the other device's AirDrop receiving setting, and that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on for both. This is an iOS-level setting rather than anything in the app.
Still stuck
Write to info@cavemen.jp. Include your OS version, device model, app version, and what you did just before it happened.