Answers

Questions, answered

The questions people actually ask about staying on top of meetings — answered straight, no fluff.

Are AI meeting notetakers safe? Yes — most AI meeting notetakers are safe to use, but how safe depends on three things you can check. First, whether a bot joins your call: a recording bot is a separate account in the meeting that can see and store the whole conversation. Second, what happens to your audio: the safest tools discard it right after transcription instead of keeping a recording. Third, who processes and stores your transcript, and whether your data trains anyone's models. Look for a tool that captures only when you start it (not always-on), doesn't persist raw audio, encrypts notes at rest, names its subprocessors, and lets you delete your data. Canary is built this way: no bot joins the call, raw audio is never written to disk, summaries are encrypted at rest, and capture runs only when you press Start.
How do I tell participants I'm using an AI notetaker? Tell participants before the meeting starts, and keep it to one plain sentence — 'Heads up, I'm using an AI tool to take notes.' Say it out loud at the top of the call, or add a line to the calendar invite so no one is surprised. This matters even with a bot-free tool like Canary that captures your computer's system audio with no bot in the call: because nothing announces itself, the disclosure is on you. A short, upfront heads-up keeps you on the right side of both meeting etiquette and recording-consent rules, which vary by region.
What's the difference between a live transcript and a live summary? A live transcript is a word-for-word stream of everything being said, updating as people speak — accurate, but a lot to read. A live summary distills that same conversation into the meaning that matters, updating every few seconds so you can grasp the situation at a glance instead of reading a wall of text. Both happen during the meeting; the difference is words vs. meaning. Tools like Tactiq show a live transcript, while Canary shows a live, multi-resolution summary.
Can I get meeting notes without a Zoom plugin? Yes. You don't need a Zoom plugin, marketplace app, or meeting bot to get notes from a Zoom call. Tools that capture your computer's system audio work entirely outside Zoom — there's nothing to add to your Zoom account, no app to approve, and no bot that joins as a participant. Canary takes this approach: it listens to your system audio locally and shows a live, multi-resolution rolling summary during the call, so you get notes without ever touching Zoom's plugin marketplace.
How do I record system audio on a Mac without a virtual audio device? To record your Mac's system audio without a virtual audio device, use a tool that taps macOS's built-in system-audio capture instead of routing sound through BlackHole, Soundflower, or Loopback. Canary does this for meetings: it reads the audio your Mac is already playing on-device — no virtual device, no bot, no plugin — and turns it into a live, rolling summary. The older virtual-device method still works, but it adds setup, can take over your speaker output, and tends to break on macOS updates.
Is it legal to record a meeting? In most places it is legal to record a meeting you're part of, but the consent rule varies by region: some jurisdictions need only one participant's consent (you), while others require everyone on the call to agree. About a dozen U.S. states — including California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Washington — are 'all-party' consent states, and the EU's GDPR treats meeting audio as personal data, so disclosure is expected. The safe, simple rule everywhere is to tell participants before you capture anything. This is general information, not legal advice.
What's the best meeting notes app for ADHD? For ADHD, the best meeting notes app is one that shows a live, glanceable summary during the call rather than only a recap afterward — so when your attention drifts and you lose the thread, you can glance over and instantly reorient. Canary is built this way: it keeps a real-time, multi-resolution summary (now, last 2 minutes, last 5 minutes, full call) that offloads the working-memory load of holding the whole conversation in your head. Most notetakers only summarize after the meeting, which doesn't help in the moment a thread slips.
Can I get a live summary during a Zoom call? Yes — you can get a live summary during a Zoom call by using a real-time meeting summarizer like Canary, which captures the call's system audio locally and shows a continuously updating summary while the meeting is happening. This is different from most AI notetakers, which only produce a summary after the call ends. Because Canary doesn't join as a bot, it works the same on Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams.
Does Otter show a summary during the meeting? No — Otter shows a live transcript while a meeting is happening, but its actual summary is generated after the call ends, not during it. So if what you want is a continuously updating summary you can glance at mid-meeting, Otter's live view gives you a running transcript rather than a condensed summary. A real-time summarizer like Canary fills that gap by showing a live, multi-resolution rolling summary while the meeting is still going.
How do I catch up after stepping away from a call? To catch up after stepping away from a call, use a real-time meeting summarizer like Canary that has been keeping a live, rolling summary of the conversation. When you return, read its 'last few minutes' view to see what happened while you were gone — in a couple of seconds and without asking anyone to repeat themselves. Tools that only summarize after the meeting can't help here, because their summary doesn't exist until the call is over.
How do I take meeting notes without a bot joining the call? To take AI meeting notes without a bot, use a tool like Canary that captures your computer's system audio locally instead of joining the meeting as a participant. Because it listens to the audio your computer is already playing, nothing shows up in the participant list, there's no plugin or virtual audio device to install, and it works the same on Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams. Bot-based notetakers, by contrast, dial into the call and appear to everyone.
Real-time vs after-the-meeting AI notes — which do I need? Choose real-time AI notes if your problem is staying on top of the conversation while it's happening — being able to answer when you're called on or catch up after stepping away. Choose after-the-meeting AI notes if your problem is remembering decisions and sharing recaps afterward. They solve different problems, and only real-time notes (like Canary's live rolling summary) can help you while you're still in the meeting. Many people benefit from both.
What did I miss in the meeting? To find out what you missed without asking people to repeat themselves, use a real-time meeting summarizer like Canary that keeps a live, rolling summary of the call. When your name is called, glance at the 'last 2 minutes' view to see what was just discussed, then respond. Tools that only summarize after the meeting can't help you in the moment.