1 · IN THE MOMENT
Tap once, add a line if you want
Mark from the Lock Screen or the Watch. The recording keeps going.
Catch it while it's fresh.
Press once and talk. When something matters, add a mark. Later, go back to what you said, and where you were when you said it.
iPhone and Apple Watch · Audio, text, marks, and your route on one timeline
Getting started
One press, and it's recording.
Start from the Action Button, Control Center, a Home Screen widget or your Apple Watch face. Mark from the Lock Screen or the Dynamic Island without opening the app.
No need to pause the podcast or audiobook in your headphones. Record your thoughts and voice as you listen. You can also choose “Take Notes” to save your route without recording audio, and tap “Add Note” to jot down ideas.
Action Button
On supported iPhones, press and hold the side button to start recording.
Watch face
Raise your wrist and tap once. The Watch records on its own
Record while listening
Keep listening as you record. Use the Lock Screen card to mark or stop.
Dynamic Island
While using another app, expand the Dynamic Island to mark or stop recording.
Marks
Skip straight to the part that mattered.
When something comes up, tap Mark. Afterwards, read the transcript and tap a mark to hear those few seconds again. If you were walking, the map follows along and shows where you were.
iPhone and Watch together
One recording. Two devices.
Start on either device and let the other join. Each keeps its own audio track and its own transcript, so you can check one against the other. Away from the phone, the Watch records by itself.
If a phone call interrupts the iPhone, the Watch is still recording; when the call ends, the iPhone picks up again. Audio is saved locally every minute, so a dead battery or a killed app won't take the recording with it.
- iPhone track
- Watch track
- Mark
Transcript and favorites
What you said, in text you can search.
The transcript is ready when the recording ends. Correct a word right in the transcript; edits stay visibly marked. Conversations are split by speaker, and you can give each speaker a name.
Search for a word to jump straight to the sentence. Star a passage to keep it in Favorites, where it stays linked to the original text and audio.
On-device processing
It stays on your phone.
Recording, transcription and speaker separation all run on the device. Trace has no server of its own and collects nothing about you. No account, no ads.
- iCloud sync
- Optional, through your own iCloud account. Your records stay in sync across your devices.
- Export the whole record
- Audio, a GPX route, and a timestamped transcript, all in standard formats other apps can open.
- When it goes online
- Only to download a language the first time, load maps, sync with iCloud, and complete a purchase. Recording and transcription don't need a connection.
Pricing
Fourteen days free, then one payment if you want it.
Start the trial inside the app. You won't be charged automatically when it ends. If Trace works for you, buy it once. There's no subscription and no per-minute fee.
If you don't buy, everything you already recorded can still be played, searched and exported.
Price announced at launch
One-time purchase, no renewal.
- iPhone
- iOS 18 or later
- Apple Watch
- watchOS 11 or later; works without one
- Transcription
- iOS 26 on a supported device, in a supported language
Questions
Anything else, write to trace@qqfly.net
Do I need an Apple Watch?
No. The iPhone records, marks and plays back on its own. The Watch adds one-tap recording from your wrist, plus a second audio track.
Will it record the podcast in my headphones, or a phone call?
No. Trace records what the iPhone microphone hears, which is your voice. Trace can't access audio from other apps or phone calls. Sound played out loud through a speaker can end up in the recording.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Recording and transcription both happen on the phone.
How accurate is the transcript?
Good enough most of the time. It slips with background noise, people talking over each other, or a language that isn't supported. You can correct it in place; edits are marked, and the original audio is one tap away.
Does speaker separation remember my voice?
Not at the moment. In testing, on-device voice matching wasn't stable enough across different conditions, so names apply to the current transcript only.
What if the recording gets interrupted?
What's already recorded is kept. The iPhone resumes when it can. Recording on both devices at once gives you a second track to fall back on.
Does the trial charge me when it ends?
No. You start the trial yourself in the app. When it ends, you simply won't be able to create new recordings until you purchase Trace.
If I don't buy, are my old records locked?
No. Existing records can still be played, transcribed, edited, starred and exported. Only creating new recordings and importing audio require a purchase.
What happens to a favorite if I edit the transcript?
Before saving, Trace tells you which favorites the edit affects. You decide whether to go ahead or cancel.
Is iCloud sync a backup?
No. Delete a record on one device and it's deleted on the other. Turning sync off just stops future syncing; what's already on each device stays there.
Can other apps open what I export?
Yes. The audio, the GPX route and the text are all standard formats.
Can I import audio recorded somewhere else?
Yes. Use the Share sheet in Files or Voice Memos to send an audio file to Trace, where it can be transcribed and organized like any other record.
Catch it while it's fresh.
Record when the thought shows up, wherever you happen to be.