Frequently Asked Questions

Libre Voice Note is an Android app for recording voice notes and transcribing them to text, entirely on your device. It uses the OpenAI Whisper model running locally via ONNX Runtime — no internet connection is required for recording or transcription. Notes are organized in folders and support Normal, Item List, and To-Do modes.

No. Recording and transcription work completely offline. An internet connection is only needed for:

• Downloading the Whisper model for your chosen language (one-time, a few hundred MB)
• Optional cloud sync with Google Drive or Dropbox
• In-app purchase for the Pro subscription

Yes, the app is free to download and use. The free version includes all core features with ads. Upgrading to Pro removes ads and unlocks premium capabilities.

Android 8.0 (Oreo) or higher is required.

The app uses the OpenAI Whisper speech recognition model compiled for ONNX Runtime. After you stop recording, the audio is processed locally on your device — nothing is sent to any server. The transcription appears in the note as a new paragraph.

The following languages are supported for transcription:

• English
• Japanese (日本語)
• Chinese Traditional (中文) — Simplified output from Whisper is automatically converted to Traditional Chinese
• Spanish (Español)
• German (Deutsch)
• French (Français)

Change the language in Settings → Language. Only one language model is active at a time.

Transcription speed depends on your device's processor. On modern mid-range to flagship phones, short recordings (under 30 seconds) typically transcribe in a few seconds. Longer recordings take proportionally more time. The app continues recording while transcription runs in the background.

• Record in a quiet environment with minimal background noise
• Speak clearly and at a moderate pace
• Hold the phone close to your mouth, or use a wired headset microphone
• Make sure the correct language is selected in Settings

From the home screen, tap New Folder to create a folder. When creating a folder you can choose its default note type (Normal, Item List, or To-Do). Notes created inside a folder will use that type by default. You can move notes between folders using the batch-select action on the home screen or from a note's paragraph menu.

• Normal: Free-form paragraphs of transcribed text
• Item List: Each paragraph is displayed as a bullet item
• To-Do: Each paragraph is a checkbox task you can check off, sort, or hide when done

You can switch a note's mode at any time from inside the note.

Yes. Long-press any paragraph and choose Edit from the context menu to edit the transcribed text directly. You can also re-record a paragraph with a fresh recording, or append a new recording to extend it.

Deleted notes and deleted individual paragraphs are moved to Trash rather than immediately removed. Open Trash from the navigation drawer to review, restore, or permanently delete items.

Focus Mode is a hands-free recording mode. Once active, pressing either hardware volume key (up or down) starts or stops recording — even when the screen is off. It is ideal for recording while driving, walking, or working without picking up your phone.

All Focus Mode recordings are added to a single designated primary note. You can choose or change the primary note from inside Focus Mode or from Settings → Focus Mode. If the primary note is ever deleted, the app automatically creates a new one.

Make sure Focus Mode is fully active — the foreground service notification should be visible in your notification shade. If another app (a media player, phone call, etc.) is consuming volume key events, stop that app first. Also verify that the app has not been killed by Android's battery optimization.

Google Drive and Dropbox are supported. You can sign in to either (or both in one-way mode) from the Cloud Sync & Backup screen.

• One-Way (Export): Your notes are uploaded to the cloud as Markdown files. Changes made in the cloud are not imported back to the app. Safe for archiving or sharing.
• Two-Way (Sync): Notes are kept in sync in both directions. If a note was edited on both the app and in the cloud since the last sync, a conflict is resolved according to your chosen setting: Copy (keep both), App Wins, or Cloud Wins.

Yes. Use the Backup section on the Cloud Sync page to create a full database backup (ZIP format) and upload it to your cloud provider. You can restore from any backup listed there. For fully offline backup, use Local Backup from the navigation drawer to save a backup ZIP to your device's Downloads folder.

Yes. Enable Export Audio on the Cloud Sync page to upload each note's merged audio file in WAV or MP3 format alongside the Markdown file.

No. All audio recording and transcription is processed locally on your device. Your voice data is never sent to GarnetSoft or any third-party transcription service.

The only external data transfers are:

• Cloud sync — only if you explicitly sign in to Google Drive or Dropbox and initiate a sync
• Ads — the free version uses Google AdMob, which may collect limited device identifiers per its own privacy policy
• In-app purchases — handled by Google Play Billing

Cloud sync stores your note content (Markdown text and optionally audio) in your personal Google Drive or Dropbox account using standard OAuth authentication. GarnetSoft does not have access to your cloud storage. Your data is protected by the security policies of the respective cloud provider.