# Otter.ai App Guide: iOS, Android, Desktop, Web and Chrome

> Every Otter.ai app explained: iOS and Android recording, the bot-free Mac and Windows desktop app, web, Chrome extension, dropouts and plan caps.

_Source: https://professionalstoolkit.com/articles/otter-ai-app — The Professional's Toolkit · updated November 2026_

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Otter.ai runs as five apps: iPhone, Android, a desktop app for Mac and Windows, the web app and a Chrome extension. Every one of them works on every plan, including the free Basic plan. The app decides *how* audio reaches Otter, and the plan decides how much of it gets transcribed. Basic gives 300 transcription minutes per user a month, and that single pool covers meetings, in-app recordings and imports alike. For speech to text on the go, install the phone app. For meetings without a bot in the call, install the desktop app. Live transcription needs internet in every app. Phone calls cannot be recorded directly.


**5 apps** — iOS, Android, Mac and Windows desktop, web and Chrome extension, all available on every Otter plan including Basic.



- **300 min** — Basic minutes per user a month, one pool for every app
- **iOS 15+** — Needed by current iPhone app versions (Android 5.0+)
- **macOS 12.3+** — Desktop app minimum on Mac; Windows 10+ on PC


## Which Otter app fits which job

All five apps share one account, and settings sync across web, desktop and mobile. What differs is the audio path. A phone or a browser tab listens through the microphone, so it hears the room. The desktop app also captures system audio, so it hears the call. The Chrome extension hears the browser tab. Pick by where the audio lives. The Otter Notetaker (formerly OtterPilot), which joins calls from your calendar, is a separate route that our [Zoom, Teams and Meet guide](/articles/otter-ai-zoom-teams-meet) covers step by step.

| App | Runs on | What it hears | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS and Android | iOS 15+, Android 5.0+ | Device microphone | In-person talks, lectures, voice notes, imports from the phone |
| Desktop app | macOS 12.3+, Windows 10+ | Microphone and system audio | Bot-free capture of Zoom, Teams, Meet, Slack huddles and more |
| Web app | Chrome 67+, Firefox 59+, Safari 15+, Edge 88+ | Microphone | Recording at a laptop, imports, editing, exports |
| Chrome extension | Chrome | Browser tab audio | Zoom and Google Meet links, videos playing in a tab |



> ⚠ **Store subscriptions stay with Apple or Google:** Otter plans bought in the iOS or Android app are billed, cancelled and refunded through the store; deleting the app cancels nothing.

## The phone apps: recording, the widget and imports

Current app versions need iOS 15 or Android 5.0 or later; from version 3.57 Otter dropped iOS 13 and iOS 14, so an older iPhone is stuck on an outdated build. On iPhone, a Home Screen widget starts a recording with one tap. You can lock the phone or switch apps while Otter records, but force-quitting it stops an upload in progress, and Data Saver holds uploads until the phone is on Wi-Fi with the app open. Imports work from the phone too: pick a file in the app, or share one in from a voice memo app.

Earbuds are a trap. Bluetooth headphones mainly pick up your own voice rather than the people across the table, and Otter recommends a wired external microphone, kept within about 3 feet of the speaker, to avoid disconnects as well. The mobile apps are also the lighter client. They still run AI Chat 1.0, while web and desktop have moved to the newer AI Chat with Chat and Work modes. Takeaways cannot be exported from a phone, templates can be applied but not created, and bulk deleting, bulk sharing and authenticator-app 2FA setup all need a computer.


> 💡 **Use a wired mic, not earbuds:** Bluetooth headphones mainly capture your own voice. Otter recommends a wired external microphone within about 3 feet of the speakers.


## The desktop app for Mac and Windows: meetings without a bot

The desktop app arrived in October 2025, needs macOS 12.3 or Windows 10 or later, and runs on every plan [1]. Its job is **bot-free capture**: it records and transcribes supported meetings from your computer, so no Notetaker joins as a participant and nobody has to admit it from a lobby. It works with headphones on, because it records system audio alongside the microphone. On a Mac those are two separate permissions. Screen and System Audio Recording must be enabled for Otter, or the other side of the call goes missing.

Meeting detection covers Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack huddles, dialers such as RingCentral and Dialpad, and messaging apps including WhatsApp and FaceTime. Since August 2026, Automatic Recording notices a meeting starting when your microphone becomes active, and each meeting type can be set to Off, Remind me to record (the default) or Record automatically. Automatic screenshots of shared content work for Zoom and Teams meetings; Otter checks the screen about every 10 seconds and keeps only relevant images. They are on by default on every plan except Enterprise, where the account manager switches them on.


> ⚠ **Bot-free means nobody sees it:** Desktop recording shows other participants nothing, and Otter's Terms leave you responsible for recording notice and consent.


For Teams, the app can post a short recording notice in the meeting chat, up to 128 characters. That matters, because bot-free capture otherwise shows other participants nothing, and Otter's Terms leave you responsible for notice and consent. Enterprise admins get managed installers: a signed PKG for macOS that installs silently through Jamf or Intune, and an MSI for Windows through Intune, Group Policy or SCCM, which switches off automatic in-app updates so IT controls versions. From version 1.10.0 the app also follows the system proxy and supports Citrix Virtual Desktop.

## The web app and the Chrome extension

The web app runs in Chrome 67+, Firefox 59+, Safari 15+ or Edge 88+, and it carries the fullest feature set: image chat in AI Chat, manual CRM exports and Google Drive or OneDrive exports all need web or desktop. As a recorder it is weaker. Browser recording uses the microphone, so headphones stop it hearing the meeting, and Safari cannot capture speaker output at all because Apple blocks it. For an in-person meeting at a laptop, Chrome or Firefox works fine. For calls, Otter points you to the desktop app or the Notetaker instead.

The Chrome extension is included on all plans but supports only Zoom and Google Meet links, not Microsoft Teams. The floating live-transcript panel appears only on Meet; for Zoom the transcript shows up in My Conversations. Its Record on my device instead option, which skips the bot, also works only for Google Meet. The extension can record a video playing in a tab, such as YouTube, and because it captures the tab's own audio you can keep headphones on. Through the extension, Otter transcribes only English (US or UK), Spanish or French.

## Live transcription, dropped connections and phone calls

Live transcription is the default everywhere, and it needs an active connection with at least 512 kbps of upload bandwidth. After a 30-minute live recording, the final transcript arrives in about 1.5 to 3 minutes. If the connection drops, the recording keeps going. Otter caches the audio on the device or in the browser, the live transcript pauses, and upload and transcription happen once you are back online [2]. Do not close the tab or app before that upload finishes, and do not switch devices, because Otter cannot move an active recording.

Phone calls are the hard limit. Otter cannot record them directly because Apple and Google restrict third-party apps, and a live Otter recording on the phone pauses when you place or answer a call [3]. The workaround takes two steps. Record the call with the phone's built-in recorder, then import the file, which Otter transcribes, tags by speaker and summarizes. Zoom Phone users have a cleaner path: an integration imports recorded calls per user with a Zoom Phone licence and call recording on, and those minutes count against the plan. Our [transcription guide](/articles/otter-ai-transcription) covers import formats.


> 💡 **Wait for the upload after a dropout:** Keep the Otter app or tab open until cached audio finishes uploading; closing it early can lose the recording.


## What each plan unlocks inside the apps

No app is locked to a plan; the plan sets the quotas every app draws from. Basic is free, with 300 minutes per user a month, a 30-minute cap per conversation, 3 imports per user for the life of the account and the 25 most recent conversations visible. Pro costs $16.99 per user a month billed monthly, or $8.33 per user a month billed annually [4], and raises the limits to 1,200 minutes, 90 minutes per conversation and 10 imports a month. Business costs $19.99 per user a month billed annually, or $30 per user a month billed monthly.

Business removes the monthly cap on meeting and in-app recording minutes, but keeps **4 hours per conversation** and 6,000 imported minutes per user a month. On Basic and Pro, a phone recording, a desktop capture and an import all draw from the same pool, and deleted conversations still count. Basic's 300 minutes come to 5 hours a month. Two 30-minute recordings a week use about 260 minutes a month by our arithmetic, so they fit. Past 5 hours a month, or for any recording longer than 30 minutes, Pro is the step up.

Paid plans can be bought on the web or inside the iOS and Android apps, but a store subscription is billed, cancelled and refunded by Apple or Google. Otter recommends the web. Business appears in the App Store only for people who already bought through Apple, and buying on the web while a store subscription still runs risks a double charge with no refund. Uninstalling the app cancels nothing. Under Otter's Terms, subscriptions are non-refundable; Otter documents narrow exceptions elsewhere (a Domain Capture migration, an Enterprise contract ended for Otter's breach); our [pricing guide](/articles/otter-ai-pricing) covers renewals.


## FAQ

**Can I follow a meeting's live transcript in the Otter app without joining the call?**

Yes. While an Otter Notetaker records a meeting, you can follow the live transcript in the Otter web or mobile app without joining the video call yourself.

**Can I paste a YouTube link into the Otter app?**

No. Otter does not transcribe pasted YouTube URLs; download the video as an MP4 or MP3 and import it, or play it in Chrome and record the tab with the Otter extension.

**Does the Otter app record video?**

No. Otter records audio only. Enterprise teams can attach Zoom or Google Meet recordings for playback in Otter, while Teams recordings open at the source.

**Why does playback in Otter sound different from my original recording?**

Otter compresses the audio it stores on its servers, so playback can sound different from a local recording on your device.


## The bottom line

Most people need two Otter apps, not five. The phone app covers in-person conversations and voice notes, the desktop app captures calls without a bot and with headphones on, and the web app is where you edit, export and search. Add the Chrome extension only if you live in Google Meet. Every app works on Basic, so the real choice is the plan: 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation run out fast for anyone who records weekly meetings. Recording survives a dropped connection. Transcription waits for it to return.



## Sources

[1] Otter help: Otter Desktop App (Mac & Windows) — https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/35973988280215-Otter-Desktop-App-Mac-Windows (2026-11)
[2] Otter help: Record with Otter offline or without an internet connection — https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/44008744581271-Record-with-Otter-offline-or-without-an-internet-connection (2026-11)
[3] Otter help: Record and transcribe a phone call — https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/37814850589975-Record-and-transcribe-a-phone-call (2026-11)
[4] Pricing — https://otter.ai/pricing (2026-11)
[5] Otter.ai help center — https://help.otter.ai/hc/en-us
[6] Otter.ai Terms of Service — https://otter.ai/terms-of-service
[7] Otter.ai Privacy Policy — https://otter.ai/privacy-policy