---
title: "Capturing calls on Mac"
url: https://docs.aila.fyi/desktop/capturing-calls
source: https://docs.aila.fyi/llms.txt
---

# Capturing calls on Mac

Aila Desktop lives in the macOS menu bar. This page covers recording a call, the recording modes, and fixing problems. For setup, see [Aila for Mac](https://docs.aila.fyi/desktop).

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## Recording mode

Open **Preferences** from the menu bar icon and choose a **Recording mode**:

| Mode | What happens |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Notify me (Recommended)** | Aila alerts you when a call starts. Click once to record. Recording stops when the call ends. |
| **Automatic** | Recording starts and stops with your calls. No prompt. |
| **Manual** | Recording starts and stops only when you press the button. |

Tell everyone on the call it is being recorded, whatever mode you use.

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## Record a call

1. Start or join your call in the Phone app, FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, or another call app.
2. Click the **Aila** icon in the menu bar to open the panel. In **Notify me** mode, the panel shows **Call detected**.
3. Click **Record call**. In **Manual** mode, click **Start recording**.
4. While recording, the menu bar icon shows a timer. Use **Pause** to pause and **Stop** when the conversation ends. In **Notify me** mode, the recording stops when the call ends.
5. Aila Desktop uploads the recording to your workspace. Open **Calls** in the Aila web app to review it.

**Recent recordings** in the panel lists your latest recordings. Right-click the menu bar icon for **Open Aila**, **Recording Recovery…**, **Preferences…**, and **Quit Aila Desktop**.

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## Troubleshooting

- **Aila can't hear the whole call:** open **Preferences** and run **Check my sound**. It listens for 8 seconds, and nothing from the check is uploaded. The **Recording check** shows which permission is missing.
- **Recording is disabled:** open **macOS System Settings > Privacy & Security** and confirm microphone, call audio, and screen recording access for Aila Desktop.
- **An upload didn't finish:** recordings are saved on your Mac and retried automatically, including after a restart. Choose **Recording Recovery…** from the menu bar icon to see which recordings are waiting to upload.
- **Echo or the other side on your mic channel:** play the call in headphones. Without headphones, the far side can bleed into your microphone. Aila falls back to speaker labels when it detects this.

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## Related

- [Aila for Mac](https://docs.aila.fyi/desktop)
- [Capture calls](https://docs.aila.fyi/capture)