Follow the lecture.
Join the conversation.

Classroom Mode is for listening: one main speaker, with the translation in large type above the original. Conversation Mode is for talking: two languages in fixed left and right columns, so each person reads their own. Switch at the top of the window or in full screen.

The current app offers three sources: System Audio, Microphone, or Microphone & System Audio together. End a recording before changing sources, and allow access when macOS asks the first time.

Choose Audio Source in Settings, pick a mode and your languages, then start. Make a short test recording first and replay it to confirm the sound. Detailed steps and troubleshooting are in Help below.

Public downloads are not available yet. These instructions describe the current test build; use the controls shown in the build you received.

First time? Start in three steps

1. Choose the sound.

   Open Settings, then Audio Source. Choose Microphone, System Audio, or Microphone & System Audio. Follow macOS permission prompts when starting. End the current recording before changing sources.

2. Choose languages and start.

   Select the spoken and translated languages in the main window. Use automatic detection if unsure of the spoken language. Press Play, read the consent prompt and choose whether to enable live transcription and translation. Live captions need connectivity; recording can remain local when live processing is off.

3. Stop, replay and export.

   Press the square Stop button to end and save. Open Recording History (⇧⌘H), select a recording and replay it. Use Export for M4A audio, original TXT, translated TXT or All files. End an active recording before exporting it.

A one-minute check before a call

• Sound around you: choose Microphone.
• Sound played on your Mac: choose System Audio, for example a video or the other side of a call.
• Your voice and Mac audio: choose Microphone & System Audio. Headphones can reduce speaker sound being picked up again by the microphone.

Set the microphone and speakers separately in your meeting app. Votel does not change those settings or send the translation to other participants as speech. Make a short test recording, stop and replay it to check that the sound you need was captured.

No sound or no captions?

• No sound on replay: stop first, then check the selected source, headphones, input and output devices, and Votel permissions using the system prompts. Play audible content or speak into the microphone, then make another short test recording.
• Audio but no live captions: check whether live captions are paused, online processing is off, or a connection, usage or service message is shown. Follow that message. Continuing local recording does not mean captions have resumed.
• Original text but no translation: check the target language and any translation or connection message. Keep the local recording and use the retry action provided by the app when available.

Pausing captions is different from stopping

Pause Live Captions pauses online processing while recording continues locally. To stop capturing sound, use Finish and Save Recording (the square Stop button). If connectivity or minutes run out, check for the Recording locally status. Missing captions are not automatically filled in when you export.

Purchases, restoration and feedback

Subscriptions use Apple. Restore with the store identity associated with the purchase. Never send passwords, verification codes, receipts or signed transactions. Preserve original recordings when troubleshooting; avoid repeatedly clearing app data or Keychain credentials.

Test participants should use their original invitation channel. Include the app and macOS versions, selected audio source, steps and time. Builds with Help & Diagnostics can generate a support code valid for seven days and copy a redacted summary. The code cannot sign you in. Unnecessary recordings and captions are not needed.

Support and privacy contact: voteldeveloper@gmail.com (Votel Support). Downloads, regions and final subscription terms will be confirmed before public release. Not every country, device or meeting-app combination has been verified.

Votel is in development. This page describes current processing and its limits. The formal privacy policy and operating-entity details must be completed before public launch. Sales are not open.

Your recording library stays on your Mac

Recorded audio, caption history and exported files are local. Manage and delete recordings in the library. Exported copies, system backups and other copies remain under your control. Recently Deleted is not secure erasure.

What happens when you enable AI?

Live transcription and translation require explicit consent. Audio, recognized text and necessary context are sent for online processing to provide transcription and translation.

You can turn AI off in Privacy & AI. Future audio continues recording locally while transcription and translation stop. This does not undo earlier cloud processing.

Retention and limits

Optional request logging is currently disabled. Session resumption state may remain for up to 24 hours. Abuse monitoring may retain relevant prompts, context and outputs for 55 days. These exceptions are separate from optional request logs.

Votel keeps the account, subscription, usage and purchase records needed to provide the service. Detailed usage has a 30-day cleanup target; support codes last seven days. To understand service use, we aggregate pseudonymous usage identifiers, live audio delivery volume and country-level origin. These statistics contain no audio, caption content or full IP address, and we do not collect precise location. We also use the creation date of new service identities and the first subsequent acknowledged display to understand the initial service experience. Aggregates last 90 days; minimal date and confirmation markers remain with the service identity and are included in its deletion workflow. To understand repeat use, we separately record the first date an online result is sent and the first date a view update is acknowledged, plus whether the corresponding event occurs again on day 1, 7 or 30. Detailed activity dates have a 30-day cleanup target and aggregates last 90 days. The minimal first-date and return markers remain with the service identity and are included in its deletion workflow. Server-result return statistics do not confirm that a result was displayed; view-acknowledgement returns only mean that the client reported an updated view. Versions that support this feature also report view-update acknowledgements and waiting times for captions or translations to check that the feature works. These acknowledgements contain no caption text and do not prove that you read the content; detailed observations have the same 30-day cleanup target. Financial records, backups and historical copies are not promised immediate deletion.

Apple and subscriptions

Purchases and restoration use Apple. Votel does not receive Apple passwords, card numbers or full payment details. An extra Votel account is not required.

This website and support

This site has no advertising, third-party analytics scripts or collection forms. Basic request and security information may be processed to operate and protect the website.

For support and privacy questions, email voteldeveloper@gmail.com (Votel Support). Test participants should use their original test contact channel. Do not send passwords, login tokens or unnecessary recordings and captions.