Everything you need to know about using Basil AI
When you first launch Basil AI, you'll need to grant:
Tap the record button to begin. Basil AI uses a short 3-second countdown before recording starts so you have a moment to get ready.
Open the recordings list to search, filter by folder, and open any session for transcript review, export, or sharing.
From the recordings screen, use the import or upload option to choose a local audio file or common DRM-free video file from Files. For videos, Basil AI extracts the audio locally, discards the copied video, then generates a transcript and creates an AI summary on your device when available for your selected recognition mode and language.
Already have a media file? Import audio or a DRM-free video into Basil AI and let the app process it locally.
💡 Pro Tip: Cleaner audio leads to better transcription accuracy, so interview recordings and close-mic meeting audio usually perform best.
Choose how Basil AI listens. You can use your device language automatically or manually select a recognition language in Settings.
Use On-Device Recognition Only in Settings when you want the strongest privacy posture.
💡 Pro Tip: If privacy is your top priority, keep On-Device Recognition Only enabled and choose a language marked for on-device support.
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!
Keep recordings easy to find and easy to share.
Basil AI supports iPhone, iPad, and Mac. One purchase can work across supported Apple devices using the same Apple account.
Free users: 60 minutes per month
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 is designed around local-first transcription using Apple's speech recognition. Exact behavior depends on your selected language and whether On-Device Recognition Only is enabled in Settings. In some configurations, Apple may require network-backed recognition.
Yes. Basil AI can import local audio files and common DRM-free video files from Files and process them into a transcript, speaker-separated sections where supported, and an AI summary. For larger imports, keep the app open until processing completes.
Basil AI checks the file locally, rejects protected or DRM-restricted videos, verifies that the video has an audio track, extracts the audio into an .m4a file, and then discards the copied video. Your recording entry uses the extracted audio for playback, transcription, speaker separation, summaries, and entities.
Basil is designed for common DRM-free video files that AVFoundation can read, especially MP4, MOV, and M4V. Unsupported containers, protected files, and videos without audio fail with a clear message instead of creating an empty transcript.
Not yet. Diarization means separating a conversation by speaker so it is easier to tell who said what. Automatic speaker separation is on our roadmap; today Basil produces clear, timestamped transcripts, and cleaner audio gives the best results.
Basil AI is built to keep processing local when your settings and selected language support it. For video uploads, audio extraction happens locally and the copied video is discarded after extraction. If you enable On-Device Recognition Only, Basil will prefer privacy-first recognition paths. Some languages or recognition modes may require internet access through Apple's speech services.
Use upload when you already have an audio or DRM-free video file from another source, such as a saved meeting, imported interview, lecture capture, screen recording, webinar clip, or voice memo that you want summarized and transcribed inside Basil AI.
Basil AI supports a wide range of recognition languages, and you can change the transcription language in Settings. Some languages support on-device recognition, while others may require an internet connection depending on Apple's speech support for that language.
Open Settings and choose the recognition language you want to use. You can follow the device language automatically or manually pick a language. If you see a device icon next to a language, that language supports on-device recognition on your device.
This privacy setting tells Basil AI to use on-device recognition only when possible. It is the best choice when privacy matters most, but it can reduce language coverage or recognition flexibility in cases where Apple requires network-backed speech recognition.
Basil AI uses a short 3-second countdown before recording begins. This is expected behavior and gives you a moment to position the device, pause background chatter, or get ready before the session starts.
Notification permission is requested after your first recording flow, not during the very first app launch. If you did not see that prompt immediately, that is normal.
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 use the share or export action to save as Markdown. You can send exports to Files and Apple Notes workflows. In Settings, you'll also find options to export all your data or delete all stored data.
Free users get:
Pro users get:
You can often use Basil AI without an internet connection, especially when On-Device Recognition Only is enabled and your selected language supports on-device speech recognition. Some languages or recognition modes may need internet access, so airplane mode support depends on that combination.
Create custom folders to organize recordings by project, client, or any category you prefer. Use folder filters and search from the recordings list if a session seems missing or you need to narrow a large library quickly.
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.
Yes. Basil AI supports iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Your experience is designed to carry across devices with the same Apple account, though a few features can vary by platform.
Open Settings and look for the Your Data section. From there, you can export your full data archive or delete all stored data from Basil AI.
By default, yes. Live captions use Apple's on-device speech recognition, the final high-accuracy transcript is produced by a speech model that runs locally, and AI summaries and extracted items are generated on device with Apple Intelligence. No audio or transcript is sent to Basil for processing. The one exception is opt-in: if you turn off On-Device Recognition Only, some languages may use Apple's network-backed speech recognition for live captions. Even then, that audio goes to Apple's speech service, never to Basil.
No. Your recordings, transcripts, summaries, and meeting metadata are never transmitted to Basil's systems. The only things that ever leave the device are standard Apple App Store and in-app-purchase data handled by Apple, a one-time download of the speech model, and—only if you choose to enable network-backed recognition for an unsupported language—live audio sent to Apple's speech service. None of this involves sending your recordings or their contents to Basil.
Yes. Sync only happens when you are signed into iCloud with iCloud enabled for Basil AI. You can disable it completely at the operating-system level (turn Basil off under Settings → iCloud, or use a device that is not signed into iCloud). With iCloud off, Basil runs in local-only mode and writes nothing to iCloud.
Yes. With iCloud disabled, all recordings, transcripts, summaries, and related data stay exclusively in local storage on that device, with no cloud component involved.
No. Basil operates no servers that store your content. When iCloud sync is enabled, your data lives in your own private iCloud database—Apple's infrastructure, tied to your Apple account—which we, as the developer, cannot read.
Organizations with strict privacy requirements are welcome to contact us to discuss a DPA and/or confidentiality agreement. Because Basil AI processes content on device and stores no customer data on our servers, our role as a data processor is minimal.
Basil AI does not integrate directly with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or other meeting platforms. You start a recording on your device and Basil captures the meeting through the device microphone. You can also start and stop recording hands-free with Siri and Shortcuts.
Basil AI captures audio through the microphone rather than tapping the system or meeting-app audio stream directly. This captures the room and your own voice well; remote participants are picked up when their audio plays through the speakers, so using headphones would prevent capturing the far end.
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 audio or video file clearly before uploading so it is easier to spot in the recordings list once processing finishes.
If a transcript looks off, switch the recognition language in Settings before retrying the recording or import.
Enable On-Device Recognition Only and choose an on-device-supported language when privacy matters more than broader speech coverage.
Our support team is here to assist you