AI Notes for In-Person Meetings on iPhone, Android and Apple Watch (2026)

TL;DR: Five of the six notetakers here record in-person meetings from a phone, and tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv. For most people, Circleback is the pick. You can start a recording from the iPhone Lock Screen widget, the Android home screen widget, an Apple Watch complication, or the iPhone Action button, and import call recordings and voice memos into the same account. Circleback's app doesn't record phone calls itself. If you would rather keep no recording at all, you can turn off recording storage and keep just the transcript and notes.

This post comes from Circleback, so weigh the Circleback sections with that in mind. Everything about Fireflies.ai, Fathom, Granola, Otter.ai and tl;dv comes from their own websites and help centers as of Oct 2026, linked in the table and sections below. There's no side-by-side test here, so you won't find accuracy scores.

Last updated October 16, 2026.

Which AI notetakers record in-person meetings on a phone?

Competitor details are as of Oct 2026, taken from each vendor's own docs.

Circleback and Granola also have Apple Watch apps.

Pricing changes often, so it's left out here. See each tool's pricing page, including Circleback's.

What can each tool's mobile app do?

Circleback

Circleback records in-person meetings as audio on your phone, and from your wrist with the Apple Watch app. It also takes recordings you already have. Import works on any plan. You can upload an audio or video file up to 2 GB (MP3, MP4, WAV, M4A, MOV and other common formats) in the mobile app, or send it to Circleback from the share sheet in Voice Memos, a call recorder or Files. On web or desktop, use the New meeting dropdown, then Import. Circleback transcribes the file and writes notes, action items and insights the same way it does for a live meeting, and you can link the import to a calendar event.

Where it falls short: mobile recording is audio only, and the app doesn't record phone-call audio itself. For calls, you record somewhere else and import the file.

Granola (as of Oct 2026)

Granola has iOS and Android apps and an Apple Watch app, and it supports 17 languages on mobile. Granola doesn't record or save audio or video, so there's no recording to replay later.

Where it's strongest: no recording is kept, only the transcript and notes. Circleback does the same when you turn off recording storage.

Otter.ai (as of Oct 2026)

Otter has iOS and Android apps for capture on your phone, plus Mac and Windows desktop apps and a Chrome extension. On the free Basic plan, transcription is capped at 300 minutes a month.

Where it's strongest: capture on phone, desktop or Chrome, without a bot.

Fireflies.ai (as of Oct 2026)

Fireflies has iOS and Android apps, plus a desktop app for macOS and Windows and a Chrome extension. Its Free plan lists unlimited transcription (with an asterisk) and audio and video file uploads, with 400 minutes of storage per team.

Where it's strongest: unlimited transcription and file uploads on a free plan.

Fathom (as of Oct 2026)

Fathom's mobile app is iPhone only: "The app is iOS only (not available on Android)." The app is included on all Fathom plans. Fathom's overview says it captures meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Slack Huddles, "not phone calls."

Where it's strongest: if your team already uses Fathom, the app costs nothing extra.

tl;dv (as of Oct 2026)

tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv. Online calls go through tl;dv's bot and calendar auto-recording, or its desktop app with or without a bot.

Where it's strongest: online calls, with or without a bot.

What's the quickest way to start recording an in-person meeting?

For in-person notes, the start button matters more than anything else in the app. Hallway conversations and walking 1:1s don't come with a calendar invite, and by the time you've found the app and tapped Record, the first decision has already been made.

Circleback has three ways to start without hunting for the app:

• Tap the Lock Screen widget on iPhone or the home screen widget on Android.
• Tap the Circleback complication on your Apple Watch face.
• Press the iPhone Action button after you've set it up for Circleback.

Can you take AI meeting notes on Apple Watch?

Circleback and Granola both have Apple Watch apps, as of Oct 2026. Circleback's Watch app has a complication, so you can start recording an in-person meeting from your watch face.

Which AI notetakers handle phone calls?

Circleback's mobile app doesn't record phone-call audio. You record the call with your phone's call recording or a call recorder app, then share the file to Circleback. Circleback transcribes it and writes notes, action items and insights like any other meeting (steps for iPhone and Android). That works for any call you can get a recording of, inbound or outbound, on either platform. Still, it's an extra step on every call.

The others, as of Oct 2026: Fathom captures online meetings, not phone calls. Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai accept uploaded audio files within their plan limits, so a recorded call can go in the same way. Granola doesn't support importing pre-recorded audio files. tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv.

Do you need consent to record an in-person meeting?

Usually, yes, and when you record on a phone, nothing announces it for you. No bot shows up in a participant list, so say it out loud at the start. Granola's consent guide puts it plainly: "You are responsible for obtaining consent from participants." That's good advice for every app here. Calls work a little differently: iPhone's built-in call recording and the Google Phone app both play an announcement to everyone on the call.

Rules vary by state and country, and a few US states treat in-person conversations differently from phone calls. Nevada requires all-party consent for phone and electronic communications but only one-party consent in person. Oregon requires all-party consent for in-person conversations. Circleback's post on recording consent for AI meeting notes covers the details. It isn't legal advice, and neither is this.

Do mobile recordings sync with your desktop?

In Circleback, yes. A recording or import from your phone, the web app or the desktop app becomes a meeting in the same account, with notes, action items and insights, optionally linked to a calendar event. That means a voice memo from a client lunch and a call recording from the drive home can both end up as meetings next to your Zoom calls.

Which one should you pick?

• Pick Circleback if you want the quickest start (Lock Screen widget, Apple Watch, Action button) and you also want call recordings and voice memos in the same place as your meetings.
• If you would rather keep no recording, turn off recording storage in Circleback and keep only the transcript and notes. Granola never saves audio.
• Otter.ai adds a Chrome extension alongside its phone and desktop apps.
• Fireflies.ai lists unlimited transcription and file uploads on its free plan. Circleback has no meeting caps and imports files on every plan.
• Fathom's iPhone app is included on every Fathom plan, but there's no Android app.
• tl;dv covers online calls. tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best AI notetaker for in-person meetings?
Circleback, for most people. It records in-person meetings on iOS, Android and Apple Watch, and it starts from an iPhone Lock Screen widget, an Android home screen widget, a Watch complication or the iPhone Action button. It also imports recordings from Voice Memos and call recorders. If you would rather keep no recording, turn off recording storage in Circleback and keep just the transcript and notes. This post comes from Circleback, so check the table above against the linked docs.

Which AI meeting assistants work on desktop and mobile?
Five of the six do, as of Oct 2026, though they differ on which phones they support. Granola runs on macOS, Windows, iOS and Android. Fathom's iPhone app adds to its Mac desktop app. Otter.ai and Fireflies.ai have desktop and mobile apps. tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv. Circleback has web and desktop apps plus iOS, Android and Apple Watch.

How do I record and summarize a meeting on my iPhone?
Install a notetaker app, start recording when the conversation begins and stop at the end. The app transcribes the audio and writes the summary. In Circleback you can start from the Lock Screen widget, the Action button or your Apple Watch. If the meeting is already in Voice Memos, share the file to Circleback and it writes notes and action items from the recording.

What are the best transcription apps for in-person meetings?
As of Oct 2026, Circleback, Granola, Otter.ai, Fireflies.ai and Fathom all transcribe in-person meetings from a phone (Fathom on iPhone only). tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv. Granola does not save audio, so you keep the transcript and notes but not the recording.

Which AI meeting assistants have mobile apps?
As of Oct 2026: Circleback (iOS, Android, Apple Watch), Granola (iOS, Android, Apple Watch), Otter.ai (iOS, Android), Fireflies.ai (iOS, Android) and Fathom (iPhone). tl;dv's own pages disagree on whether it has a mobile app (as of Oct 2026), so check with tl;dv.

What's the best AI notetaker for in-person client meetings?
Pick the app you'll remember to start, and tell the client at the start that you're taking AI notes. Circleback starts from your Apple Watch or the Lock Screen widget, and you can import call recordings with the same client into the same account. Fathom's iPhone app is included on every Fathom plan.

Can Circleback record phone calls?
Not directly. The Circleback mobile app doesn't record phone-call audio. Record the call with your phone's call recording or a call recorder app, then share the file to Circleback. It transcribes the call and writes notes, action items and insights like a live meeting.

Can I move my Otter recordings into Circleback?
Yes, by uploading the files. Circleback has no direct Otter import, so the documented path is to import each recording as an audio or video file, up to 2 GB per file. For moving meeting data from other tools, Circleback's import API (released September 9, 2026) creates meetings from a name, date, attendees, notes, transcript and sharing settings. The API doesn't upload audio or video.

Circleback records in-person meetings on iOS, Android and Apple Watch. Get the Circleback mobile app.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Competitor details are as of Oct 2026 and change often, so check each tool's docs before you decide.