How to Record Meetings Without a Bot on the Fireflies Desktop App

Don’t want a bot to join your meeting? You can still record it.

Recording without a bot captures your meetings and calls privately using your computer’s system audio — no Fireflies.ai Notetaker joins the call, and no visible participant (bot) appears in your meeting.

Whether you're on a phone call, a WhatsApp chat, FaceTime, Aircall, Discord, an in-person conversation, or any other supported application — Fireflies records it all for you automatically without a bot.

Here's how it works 🚀

💡 When to Use Recording Without a Bot

Recording without a bot is helpful when you want to capture a conversation without adding Fireflies.ai Notetaker to the meeting.

You might choose this option if:

• You’re in an internal meeting and prefer not to add a visible bot

• You’re on a phone call (iPhone or Android)

• You’re using apps like WhatsApp, Discord, Aircall, or Slack

• You’re having an in-person conversation

• You simply want to record quietly without anyone in the meeting seeing a bot

This gives you more control while still allowing Fireflies to capture and summarize the conversation.

🔴 How to Record Without a Bot

You can record without a bot in two ways: manually or using auto-detection.

Option 1: Start Manually

1. Open the Fireflies Desktop app on your Windows or Mac computer.

2. Click the Record button located in the top-right corner of the Home screen.

   

3. Fireflies starts capturing system audio from your computer. The Live Assist panel opens automatically. You can view real-time notes and transcripts as the conversation happens.

   

4. Click Stop once the meeting or conversation ends.

Fireflies will automatically process the recording and generate the meeting notes and summary.

Option 2: Auto-Capture

If you’re using a supported app or are on a conferencing platform like Zoom, Google Meet, WhatsApp, Aircall, FaceTime, or Discord, the Desktop app can automatically detect the call.

1. Start or join your call on a supported app or platform.

2. Wait for the notification to appear in the top-right corner of your screen.

3. Click Record to start recording without inviting the Fireflies.ai Notetaker bot.

4. Recording begins immediately using system audio, and no bot joins the meeting.

   

The Live Assist panel also opens automatically, where you can view real-time notes and transcripts as the conversation continues.

✅ What Works in System Audio Mode

It’s helpful to understand which features are available when recording without a bot.

Works:

• Live Assist – Opens automatically and shows notes and suggestions during the meeting.

• Real-time transcript – Displays the conversation as it happens.

• AI Notes – Generates structured notes based on what’s discussed.

• AskFred – Allows you to ask questions and get answers during the meeting.

• Nudges – Shows helpful prompts based on speaking pace or long monologues.

• AI Skills – Allows you to run AI-powered insights during the meeting using the “/” command in AskFred.

• Instant Summaries – Creates a summary and key takeaways immediately after the meeting ends.

Does not work:

• Sales Assist – Requires the Fireflies.ai Notetaker (bot) to be present in the call or meeting.

• Speaker labels – Speakers appear as Speaker 1 / Speaker 2 instead of named participants.

• Audio or video recording files – System audio mode does not save separate audio or video files.

  

🔁 Auto-Capture Supported Apps & Platforms

The Fireflies Desktop app automatically detects and captures audio from supported apps and conferencing platforms. When a supported meeting or call is detected, you’ll receive a notification to start recording.

Supported platforms and apps include:

• Conferencing platforms (Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams)

• WhatsApp

• Aircall

• FaceTime

• Discord

• Perplexity Comet (browser with URL support)

• ChatGPT Atlas (browser with URL support)

• Phone calls

Recording uses system audio, and no Fireflies.ai Notetaker bot joins the meeting.

📱 Phone Call Recording

• macOS — Supports iPhone calls. Enable Calls from iPhone on both your Mac FaceTime app and your iPhone FaceTime settings, and Fireflies will capture those calls via system audio.

  

• Windows — Supports both Android and iPhone calls. Pair your phone with the Windows Phone Link app and Fireflies will record calls from your computer.

  

⚠ Limitations of Recording Without a Bot

There are a few important things to keep in mind when recording without a bot:

• No speaker labels — the transcript will show Speaker 1 / Speaker 2 instead of participant names

• Sales Assist is not available — Sales Assist requires the Fireflies.ai Notetaker (bot) to join the meeting

• Audio or video files are not saved — system audio mode does not store separate recording files

• No bot appears in the meeting — Fireflies.ai Notetaker does not join as a participant

If you need Sales Assist or speaker identification, use bot-based recording instead.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will others know I’m recording without a bot?

No. Fireflies.ai Notetaker does not join the meeting, and no visible participant appears in the call — so other participants won’t see that the meeting is being recorded.

2. Does recording without a bot save audio or video files?

No. System audio mode does not save separate audio or video files. It generates a transcript and summary after the meeting ends.

3. Can I switch from system audio recording to bot recording during a meeting?

No. If you want the Fireflies.ai Notetaker to join, you’ll need to stop the current recording and start a new session using the bot option.

4. Will recording without a bot affect meeting performance?

No. System audio recording runs in the background and does not interrupt your meeting.

5. Can I edit the transcript after recording without a bot?

Yes. Once the meeting is processed, you can edit the transcript and meeting notes in the Fireflies web dashboard.

6. Where can I find the recording after the meeting ends?

After the meeting ends, it appears in your Recent Meetings list in the Desktop app and in your Fireflies web dashboard.

7. Does system audio recording support multiple languages?

Yes. Fireflies can detect and transcribe multiple languages during system audio recording.

🔄 Recap

Recording without a bot allows you to capture meetings and calls privately using system audio on the Fireflies Desktop app.

• No Fireflies.ai Notetaker (bot) joins the meeting

• No visible participant appears in the call

• Live Assist opens automatically with real-time notes and transcripts

• Instant Summaries are generated after the meeting ends

• Works with supported apps, conferencing platforms, and phone calls

If you need Sales Assist or speaker labels, use bot-based recording instead.

📌Related Guides

• Getting Started with the Fireflies Desktop App → Learn how to install, set up, and use the Desktop app.

• Learn about Fireflies Notebook → Understand how meeting notes and recordings are saved and accessed.

• How to share meeting transcripts and summaries → Share or export your meeting data easily.