TalkSafe

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

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.
• AI noise removal — removes background noise from a finished recording and leaves the conversation. Processed on the device; the original stays and the cleaned version is saved as a new file.
• Trim — saves just the section you need as a new file. The original stays as it was.
• Share — through the Android share sheet, to any app that accepts a file.
• 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.

Related reading

How recording starts

• Why hitting record is always too late
• You say something first
• How to start recording without touching your phone
• Not every "automatic" recorder means the same thing
• Why call recording stopped working on your Android, and what still does
• The thing that separates recorders is when they start
• What to do with a recording, and what not to do with it
• You have the recording. You still may not be able to use it
• It is not in the contract. It was agreed in the meeting
• You lent them money. Now they say it was a gift
• What you were promised at interview is not what the contract says
• How to build evidence of stalking
• Can you record the police? Thirteen countries compared
• What the agent told you at the viewing: can you prove it later?

Recording law and ethics

• Is it legal to record a conversation you're in?
• In India the recording is the easy part. The certificate is not.
• Nine states are strict. The rest of the list is an argument.
• In an all-party state, ask — and let the answer land in the file
• Is it wrong to record a conversation?

At work

• Your employer's no-recording rule may itself be illegal
• Four countries, four answers to the same workplace question
• The exit conversation is off the record until it isn't
• Most workplace bullying is perfectly legal
• Retaliation is its own violation — even if the harassment claim fails
• If your employer kept no records, that works against them
• No written contract is now the client's problem, not yours

Contracts, deals and insurance

• What you were told at the showing is not in the lease
• Selling a car "as is" does not cover a lie
• In a private sale, the only warranty is what the seller said
• What the agent said is not in the policy
• No accident form has a box for what was said

Family, health, care and school

• The divorce ends the marriage. It does not end the money.
• Most of what the doctor said is gone by the parking lot
• A camera in the room and a phone in the pocket are not the same legal question
• Put it in writing, and start the clock
• How to remove background noise from a voice recording on Android