Everything you need to know about using Basil AI
When you first launch Basil AI, you'll need to grant:
Record a few phrases to help Basil AI recognize your voice better. This improves transcription accuracy for your voice.
Tap the record button to begin. Basil AI transcribes everything in real-time, completely offline on your device.
From your recordings screen, choose the upload option and select an audio file from Files. Basil AI will import it, generate a transcript, separate speakers, and create an AI summary directly on your device.
Already have an audio file? Import it into Basil AI and let the app process it locally.
💡 Pro Tip: Cleaner audio leads to better speaker separation, so interview recordings and close-mic meeting audio usually perform best.
Say "Basil" during any recording to mark important moments!
💡 Pro Tip: Use "Basil" before stating action items, decisions, or important information to ensure they're captured.
Long press the Basil AI app icon for quick actions:
Use Siri to control Basil AI hands-free:
💡 Pro Tip: Basil AI shortcuts work with Focus modes - set up automatic recording when entering Work focus!
Free users: 60 minutes per day
Pro users: Up to 8 hours continuous recording
All recordings and transcripts are stored locally on your device and in your personal iCloud account. Nothing is sent to our servers.
Basil AI uses Apple's on-device speech recognition to transcribe your recordings. Everything happens locally on your device - no audio is sent to servers.
Yes. Basil AI can import audio files from your device and process them locally to create a transcript, speaker-separated sections, and an AI summary.
Diarization means Basil AI separates the conversation by speaker so it is easier to tell who said what in a meeting, interview, or call.
Yes. Uploaded audio files are processed on-device just like live recordings. Basil AI does not need to upload your audio to a server to create transcripts or summaries.
Use upload when you already have an audio file from another source, such as a saved meeting, imported interview, lecture capture, or voice memo that you want summarized and transcribed inside Basil AI.
Basil AI supports 60 languages for both transcription and summarization. All language processing happens entirely on-device, ensuring your conversations stay private regardless of which language you speak. You can change the transcription language in the app settings.
Transcripts are read-only within the app to maintain accuracy. You can export to Markdown and edit in any text editor.
Tap any recording, then tap the share button to export as Markdown. Pro users get clean exports without watermarks.
Free users get:
Pro users get:
Yes! All transcription happens on-device, so you can record and transcribe without any internet connection. The app works perfectly in airplane mode.
Create custom folders to organize your recordings by project, client, or any category you prefer. Swipe left on any recording to move it to a folder.
Yes! Say "Hey Siri, start recording in Basil AI" to begin recording hands-free. You can also create custom phrases in the Shortcuts app for personalized commands.
Pro subscribers get automatic sync across all their devices. Your usage limits and recordings sync via iCloud, and one subscription works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Start sentences with action words: "Todo:", "Decide:", "Schedule:", "Follow up:"
Enable "Low Power Recording" in settings for longer sessions with minimal battery drain.
Say "Note to self" followed by your thought to create a clearly marked personal note.
Use AirPods or external mics for clearer audio in noisy environments.
Start meetings with "Attendees are..." to automatically populate the attendees list.
Swipe right on any recording for quick share options without opening details.
Name your imported file clearly before uploading so it is easier to spot in the recordings list once processing finishes.
Our support team is here to assist you