For a meeting in a conference room, pick a note taker with a phone app that records through the phone's own microphone: CoHear is the best fit when you want notes shaped to the kind of meeting (a training, a site visit, a review) and a handout you can share, and Otter or Granola fit when you already use them for video calls. You can see the whole flow, from telling the room to sharing a checked handout, in CoHear: notes, action items and a handout.
The tools built for video calls usually work by sending a bot into Zoom or Teams. In a room there is no call to join, so what matters is a good mobile or desktop app, clear speaker labels and an easy way to check the transcript against the audio.
Which tools record a meeting in the room?
- CoHear. An iPhone app that records long sessions in the room, writes a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps, and shapes the notes by meeting type. You can share the result by link with a password, or export it to Word, PowerPoint or PDF. Deciding factor: training sessions, workshops and team meetings where the output has to be shared.
- Otter. Otter's help center says its iOS and Android apps record in-person meetings with the device's built-in mic. Deciding factor: your team already uses Otter for online calls and wants one place for both.
- Granola. Granola works with in-person meetings as well as Zoom, Meet and Teams, with apps for Mac, Windows, iPhone and Android. You type a few words and it writes full notes around them. Deciding factor: client meetings where you want your own notes plus a follow-up email.
- Jamie. Runs on your device on Mac, Windows and iPhone, with no bot. Deciding factor: you want the same tool for in-person and online meetings, with privacy as a priority.
- Voicenotes. A voice notes app for iPhone and Android. A recording with several speakers becomes a meeting report with key points, follow-up actions and a transcript by speaker. Deciding factor: you mostly record short conversations and voice memos, and meetings are a bonus.
For a full comparison of online and offline options, see the best AI meeting note takers.
How do I get a clean recording in a conference room?
- Ask first. Tell everyone you are recording and taking AI notes before you start. Some tools, like CoHear, ask you to confirm you have told the room. Read AI note taker consent for what to say.
- Put the phone in the middle of the table, not in your pocket or at one end. Otter's own guidance says voices far from the device get faint.
- Use the phone's built-in mic, not Bluetooth headphones. Headphones record you, not the room.
- Do a short test before an important meeting and check that every voice is picked up.
- Check speaker names afterward. The app splits voices, but you confirm who is who.
What does this look like in a real lesson?
In the CoHear lesson you are the operations manager at a property management company, training six coordinators on a new maintenance request process. You tap Record, confirm you have told the room, and stop at the end. You name the recording, pick Real Estate and Training Session so the notes fit, then open the action items. One due date says "Not stated", because nobody said one. Before you share a key spending rule from the training, you tap Transcript and play the exact line where it was said. Then you make a one-page infographic and share it with a password.
The short explainer How AI Turns Talk into Text shows why that check matters: speech-to-text slips most on names, numbers and jargon.
What mistakes should I avoid?
- Recording without telling people. Consent rules differ by state and country, and trust matters more than the notes.
- Trusting speaker labels blindly. Similar voices and people talking over each other confuse every tool.
- Sharing notes with unchecked numbers. Play the line before you quote a figure or a rule.
- Leaving recordings in a personal account. Check your company's rules on where meeting audio can be stored.
Key takeaways
- In a room, you need a good phone or laptop app, not a meeting bot.
- CoHear fits training and team sessions; Otter and Granola fit teams that already use them online.
- Phone in the middle, built-in mic, quick test first.
- Always ask, and check names, numbers and dates against the transcript.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use one note taker for both online and in-person meetings?
Yes. Otter, Granola and Jamie all handle both. Pick the one whose online setup your company already allows.
- Does a phone pick up a whole conference room?
Usually, if it sits in the center and the room is quiet. Large rooms with many people may need an external microphone. Test before the meeting that matters.
- What is an AI note taker, exactly?
An app that records speech, turns it into a transcript and then writes notes, decisions and action items from it. The AI note taker explainer covers the basics.