Libre Voice Note - User Guide
A complete guide to recording, transcribing, and organizing your voice notes entirely on your device.
Introduction
Libre Voice Note is an Android app that records audio and transcribes it locally using the Whisper AI model — no internet connection or cloud service required for transcription. Your recordings and transcriptions never leave your device unless you choose to sync them.
Key Benefits
- On-Device Transcription: Whisper AI runs entirely on your phone via ONNX Runtime
- Complete Privacy: No audio or text is sent to external servers for transcription
- Flexible Organization: Folder-based notes with Normal, Item List, and To-Do modes
- Hands-Free Recording: Focus Mode lets you record using the hardware volume keys, even with the screen off
- Optional Cloud Sync: Export and sync notes to Google Drive or Dropbox at your discretion
Getting Started
1. Install the App
Download Libre Voice Note from the Google Play Store and open it. No account or server setup is required.
2. Choose Your Language
On first launch, go to Settings → Language to select your transcription language. Supported languages are:
- English
- Japanese (日本語)
- Chinese (Traditional / 中文)
- Spanish (Español)
- German (Deutsch)
- French (Français)
3. Download the Whisper Model
After selecting a language, tap Download next to the model to download the on-device transcription model. The download is a few hundred MB and only needs to happen once per language.
Note: Transcription is not available until the model for your selected language has been downloaded. You can still record audio and it will be transcribed once the model is ready.
Recording Voice Notes
1. Create a New Note
From the home screen, tap the + button to create a new note, or open an existing note from the list. Notes can be created directly in the root or inside any folder.
2. Record Using the Recording Ball
Inside a note, a draggable recording ball appears on screen. Tap it to start recording. Tap again to stop. Each recording segment becomes a separate paragraph in the note, which is automatically transcribed.
- Drag the ball anywhere on screen for comfortable one-handed use
- A pending indicator shows when transcription is in progress
- You can add multiple recording segments to the same note
3. Auto-Stop on Silence
Enable Auto-stop on silence in Settings to automatically stop recording after a period of silence (15 s, 30 s, 45 s, or 60 s). This is useful for hands-free use.
4. Paragraph Management
Long-press any paragraph to open the context menu. Available actions include:
- Set as title / Copy paragraph
- Play paragraph audio
- Edit, re-record, or append a new recording to the paragraph
- Reorder, move to another note, or delete
- Set a highlight color or attach a photo
Organizing Notes
Folders
The home screen shows folders first, then notes. Tap New Folder to create a folder and choose its default note type. Notes created inside a folder will use that type by default.
Note Modes
Each note can operate in one of three modes, switchable from within the note:
Normal
Free-form paragraphs of transcribed text. Best for general voice memos and longer recordings.
Item List
Each paragraph is a bullet item. Ideal for capturing lists of ideas, topics, or items.
To-Do
Each paragraph is a checkbox task. Sort or hide completed items. Delete all done items at once.
Titles & Favorites
Give a note a custom title by tapping the title field at the top. You can also record a title by voice. Star any note to add it to your Favorites for quick access from the navigation drawer.
Trash
Deleted notes and deleted paragraphs are moved to the Trash. Open the Trash from the navigation drawer to review, restore, or permanently delete items.
Sorting
Use the sort control on the home screen to sort notes by Name, Date, or Duration in ascending or descending order.
Focus Mode
Focus Mode is a hands-free recording mode designed for situations where you cannot look at your phone — driving, walking, or working.
How It Works
- Open Focus Mode from the navigation drawer
- Press either volume up or volume down to start or stop recording — even when the screen is off
- All recordings go to a designated primary note that you configure
- A foreground service keeps Focus Mode active in the background
- The latest transcription is displayed on screen as it completes
Setting a Primary Note
Tap the note selector inside Focus Mode (or go to Settings → Focus Mode) to choose which note receives the recordings. If the primary note is deleted, the app automatically creates a new one.
Exiting Focus Mode
Tap the Stop button on screen or use the Stop action in the persistent notification to exit Focus Mode.
Cloud Sync & Backup
Libre Voice Note can optionally sync your notes to Google Drive or Dropbox. All sync is initiated by you — nothing is uploaded automatically without your action.
Connecting a Cloud Provider
- Go to Cloud Sync & Backup from the navigation drawer
- Select the Google Drive or Dropbox tab
- Tap Sign In and complete authentication
Note: In two-way sync mode, only one provider can be signed in at a time.
Sync Modes
| Mode | Description |
|---|---|
| One-Way (Export) | Uploads your notes as Markdown files to the cloud. Cloud changes are not imported back. |
| Two-Way (Sync) | Syncs notes in both directions. Cloud edits are merged back into the app based on your conflict resolution setting. |
Conflict resolution options: Copy (keep both), App Wins, or Cloud Wins.
Audio Export
Enable Export Audio on the Cloud Sync page to also upload the audio file for each note in WAV or MP3 format alongside the Markdown.
Cloud Backup & Restore
Use the Backup section on the Cloud Sync page to create a full backup of your database to the cloud, or restore from a previous backup.
Local Backup
Go to Local Backup from the navigation drawer to create a backup ZIP on your device, restore from a saved backup, or delete old backups.
Settings
Language & Model
Choose your transcription language and manage the downloaded Whisper model for that language (download, remove, or check download status).
General Settings
- Auto-stop on silence: Off / 15 s / 30 s / 45 s / 60 s
- Auto-copy transcription: Automatically copies new transcriptions to the clipboard
- Mute start click: Suppresses the start beep at the beginning of playback
- Playback speed: Configure up to three custom speed options (slow, fast, fastest)
- Recording feedback profile: Adjust haptic/audio feedback during recording
- Recording ball size: Adjust the size of the floating recording button (40–80 dp)
Focus Mode Settings
Choose the primary note for Focus Mode recordings and optionally always show the onboarding tutorial.
Audio File Check
Run an integrity check to verify that all recording audio files exist on disk. Useful after restoring a backup or moving the app's data.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Likely Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Microphone not working | Microphone permission denied | Go to Android Settings → Apps → Libre Voice Note → Permissions and grant Microphone access |
| Transcription never completes | Model not downloaded, or model download was interrupted | Go to Settings → Language and check the model status. Re-download if needed. |
| Poor transcription quality | Background noise, unclear speech, or wrong language selected | Record in a quiet environment, speak clearly, and verify the correct language is selected in Settings |
| Volume keys don't trigger recording in Focus Mode | Focus Mode service not active, or another app is consuming volume key events | Ensure Focus Mode is open and the foreground notification is visible. Close other media or call apps. |
| Cloud sync fails | Not signed in, network unavailable, or provider session expired | Check your internet connection, sign out and back into the provider on the Cloud Sync page |
Contact Support
If you encounter a persistent issue, please contact us at houcheng@gmail.com with a description of the problem.