Applies to LiveDraft 1.0 for iPhone, iPad, and Mac
LiveDraft creates an editable transcript while a recording is still in progress. It uses Apple's on-device Speech framework, has no accounts or subscription, and lets you decide whether session audio is saved.
System Requirements
iPhone: iOS 26.4 or later
iPad: iPadOS 26.4 or later
Mac: macOS 26.0 or later
Microphone and Speech Recognition permission
An Apple Account and iCloud access only if you want cross-device session or saved-audio sync
The first use of a language may require an internet connection while Apple downloads its on-device speech-recognition assets.
iPhone Support
Start and finish a session
Open LiveDraft and tap New Session.
Optionally enter a title or glossary and choose whether to save compressed audio.
Tap Start and grant Microphone and Speech Recognition access if requested.
Tap End when the meeting or conversation is finished.
The iPhone live view uses the full screen. Tap finalized transcript text to edit it while LiveDraft continues listening. Editing or scrolling pauses automatic following; tap Follow Live, or deliberately pull past the bottom of the transcript and release, to return to the newest text.
Use Session Tools during recording to review correction activity and session-dictionary rules. Use the display menu to show elapsed timestamps, time-of-day timestamps, or no timestamps, and to adjust transcript text size.
Find sessions and settings
Use the All, Today, and This Week filters above the session list.
Use Search sessions to search titles and the full text of saved transcripts.
Swipe a session or use its context menu to copy or delete it.
Tap the gear button in the upper-right corner to open Settings.
iPhone permissions
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Speech Recognition, then ensure LiveDraft is enabled. You can also check LiveDraft's app-specific page in Settings.
iPad Support
Sidebar and detail workspace
The iPad layout keeps sessions, filters, search, New Session, and Settings in the sidebar. The selected saved session or active live transcript appears in the detail area. If the sidebar is hidden in portrait orientation or Split View, use the system sidebar control to reveal it.
Live transcript tools
During recording, the transcript remains editable while new speech continues. On wider layouts, Correction Activity and Session Dictionary can appear in an inspector beside the transcript. On narrower layouts, those tools open in a sheet so the transcript retains most of the screen.
Tap Follow Live, or pull deliberately past the transcript bottom and release, after editing or scrolling. Tap End to finish and save the session.
iPad permissions and settings
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Speech Recognition to restore denied permissions.
Open the LiveDraft sidebar and tap Settings to manage Access, dictionaries, export, audio, sync, and app information.
Mac Support
Sidebar and live workspace
The Mac app uses a native multi-column workspace. The sidebar contains New Session, full-text search, session filters, saved sessions, and Settings. The live workspace places the editable transcript in the center, correction and dictionary tools in the inspector, and recording controls in the bottom transport.
Editing or scrolling pauses automatic following without pausing transcription. Click Follow Live or press Command–Down Arrow to return to the newest text. Click End to finish and save the session.
Choose a microphone
LiveDraft currently uses the Mac's system-default input device. Before starting a session, choose the desired microphone in System Settings → Sound → Input. If you change microphones during a session and capture does not recover, end the session and start a new one.
Mac permissions and settings
Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and Speech Recognition to enable LiveDraft.
Open LiveDraft's Settings window from the sidebar or the application menu to manage Access, dictionaries, timestamps, export, audio, sync, and app information.
Keep LiveDraft running and keep the Mac awake during a live session. System sleep can interrupt microphone capture.
Seven-Day Trial and Lifetime Unlock
The seven-day trial is app-managed and includes the complete app. It begins from the verified date of the first App Store download. There is no subscription, no automatic charge, and no payment screen merely for starting the trial.
After the trial ends:
starting a new session requires the one-time lifetime unlock;
an active recording is not interrupted if the trial expires during that session; and
every saved session remains available to open, edit, search, play, copy, and export.
The lifetime unlock is one purchase for iPhone, iPad, and Mac when those devices use the same Apple Account. The U.S. price is $24.99; the App Store shows the applicable localized price elsewhere.
Restore a purchase
Open Settings → Access.
Choose Restore Purchase.
Confirm that the device is signed into the Apple Account that made the purchase and has an internet connection.
Deleting and reinstalling LiveDraft does not normally restart the trial. The verified App Store download date and protected Keychain records preserve the original trial period.
Saved Audio
Audio saving is optional and off by default. Before a session starts, enable Save compressed audio if you want a mono M4A (AAC) recording linked to the transcript. Estimated storage is about 14 MB per hour.
Sync saved audio with iCloud on: New recordings use LiveDraft's private iCloud Drive container and can be downloaded by your other supported devices.
Sync saved audio with iCloud off: New recordings stay only on the device that captured them, although the transcript can still sync separately.
The playback bar in a completed session provides play, pause, and seeking.
Deleting audio from the playback bar preserves the transcript.
Deleting the complete session removes both the session data and its associated recording where available.
Session and Transcript Sync
Session titles, transcript text, dictionaries, corrections, and audio references sync through your private CloudKit database when iCloud is available for LiveDraft. The larger M4A recording syncs separately through iCloud Drive only when audio sync is enabled.
If a session does not appear on another device:
Confirm both devices use the same Apple Account.
Confirm iCloud and iCloud Drive are enabled for LiveDraft.
Open LiveDraft on both devices and allow a few minutes for the initial sync.
Confirm both devices have a network connection.
A recording created with audio sync off remains on its capture device and cannot be reconstructed from the transcript.
Editing, Search, Copy, and Export
Tap or click finalized text during a live session to correct it without stopping transcription.
Open a saved session to edit the complete transcript across paragraph boundaries.
Full-text search checks both session titles and complete saved transcript text locally.
The saved-session toolbar includes Rename, Copy, Export, Dictionary, and Delete.
Export supports TXT and PDF, with optional elapsed or time-of-day timestamps.
Sharing uses the system share interface. Copy actions place text on the system clipboard.
Common Troubleshooting
Transcription does not start
Confirm both Microphone and Speech Recognition permissions are enabled.
Confirm the device has enough free storage for Apple's speech asset and, if needed, connect to the internet so the asset can download.
Check that another app is not exclusively using the microphone.
End the attempt, reopen LiveDraft, and start a new session.
The live text stops changing
An incoming call, audio-route change, microphone disconnection, or other system interruption may pause capture. Resume with the recording control if it is paused. If capture does not recover, end the session; the transcript already produced is preserved. Then confirm the microphone route and start another session.
Follow Live does not move to the bottom
Finish the active edit first, then use Follow Live. On iPhone and iPad, you can also pull past the transcript bottom and release. On Mac, press Command–Down Arrow.
A saved recording is unavailable
For iCloud audio, confirm the device is online and iCloud Drive is enabled, then press Play again.
A local-only recording is available only on the device that captured it.
If the audio was deleted, the transcript remains but the recording cannot be recreated.
Purchase status cannot be verified
Confirm the device is online and signed into the App Store, then open Settings → Access and choose Try Again or Restore Purchase. A TestFlight or sandbox purchase does not unlock the production App Store version.
Export remains on “Preparing…”
Large PDFs can take longer to render. Keep the export sheet open, or choose TXT for the fastest export.
Privacy and Recording Consent
LiveDraft does not use accounts, advertising, analytics, developer-operated cloud transcription, or generative AI. Read Privacy_Policy.md for complete details.
You are responsible for obtaining any consent required before recording or transcribing other people. Recording laws vary by location.
Contact Support
Fill out the form at the botom of this page.
When requesting help, include:
iPhone, iPad, or Mac model;
operating-system version;
LiveDraft version;
whether the issue involves a local or iCloud recording; and
the steps that reproduce the problem.
Do not send confidential transcripts, recordings, passwords, or payment information unless you deliberately choose to share specific content needed for support.