App
TalkSafe
TalkSafe is an Android voice recorder that starts recording automatically when it hears a word you set in advance. When recording begins, the 30 seconds preceding it are saved with the file. Word recognition runs on the device.
What it does
An ordinary recorder saves from the moment you tap record. TalkSafe differs in two ways.
A word is the trigger. When the app hears a word you chose, recording starts on its own. Nothing to unlock, nothing to open.
What came before is kept. When recording starts, the previous 30 seconds are attached to the front of the file — including the exchange that made you decide it was worth recording.
Basics
Platform
Android (Google Play)
Package name
com.lab525.talksafe
Category
Voice recorder / Utilities
Languages
Korean, English, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Turkish, Bengali, Portuguese, French, German, Hindi, Polish, Vietnamese (14)
Price
Free to use. Paid plans: Pro, Premium and Premium+
Developer
H Company
Features
- Word-triggered recording — recording starts when a word you set is heard. Several words can be registered.
- 30-second pre-roll — the 30 seconds before recording started are saved too.
- On-device recognition — listening for the word happens on the phone.
- Recording length — 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or manual stop.
- Persistent notification — visible while recording and cannot be switched off.
How it differs from a voice assistant
Siri and Bixby are built to recognise the device owner's voice and respond when summoned. Calling one wakes the screen and answers out loud. The conversation stops, and the other person knows.
TalkSafe detects the word itself, regardless of who said it. The word you set does not have to be one you say — it can be something the other person is likely to say in that situation. That distinction matters most when you cannot speak, or have no composure to.
Recording also starts with the screen locked, with no sound and no visible change at the moment it begins.
Plans
The app is free to use, with three paid tiers above it.
- Free — up to 5 keywords, recordings up to 30 minutes each, ads shown
- Pro — no limit on keywords or recording length, no ads
- Premium — everything in Pro, plus AI summaries and cloud backup
- Premium+ — Premium without the caps on AI summary time and cloud storage
Word-triggered recording and the 30-second pre-roll work on the free plan as well. Pricing is shown on Google Play.
How it differs from other recorders
Saving audio from before the recording started is not unique on its own — a few apps offer a rolling buffer. In those apps, however, a person still has to press a button for the buffered audio to be kept.
TalkSafe combines the pre-roll with a trigger that is a spoken word. Because there is no button press involved, recording starts in situations where reaching for a phone is not possible or not appropriate.
What it does not do
TalkSafe assumes the user is a participant in the conversation being recorded.
A notification remains visible for the entire time a recording runs and cannot be turned off. There is no feature for hiding the fact that recording is taking place, and none is planned.
Recording law differs by country and, in the United States, by state. Check the rule that applies where you are before using it.