# Is Aurora right for in-person interviews? > Aurora is an iPhone app that records an interview in the room and produces the transcript and summary on the device. How to set it up, what privacy means in practice, and when another tool is the better choice. USE CASES · INTERVIEWS AND JOURNALISTS If you are in the room, yes. Aurora listens through the iPhone, shows a live transcript, and writes the summary on the device. Nothing joins the call. This page sets out setup tips, privacy and the trade-offs. Published 31 October 2026 ## The short answer Aurora is built for conversations in the room. It does not send a bot and it does not upload recordings for transcription. Recording, transcription, speaker separation and summaries run on the iPhone. Aurora is local-first, not network-free; the [Privacy Notice](https://auroraisyours.com/privacy/#app-egress) lists the other paths. ## How to set up an interview - Put the phone on the table between you. Closer is better. - Ask before you record. Some places and beats have strict rules. - Turn on airplane mode if you do not want notifications in the room. - Check storage and battery before you begin. Long interviews need both. - Do not record off-the-record remarks; do not rely on editing later. ## Technique in practice - **Reduce noise.** Move away from HVAC and open windows; a quiet room helps the transcript and the diarizer. - **Confirm names on tape.** Ask for names and spellings out loud so the transcript carries them. - **Mind crosstalk.** Let people finish when possible; overlapping speech is harder to separate cleanly. - **Room layout matters.** If more than two people, seat them so the phone has an even path to each voice. - **Verify quotes.** After the session, check key lines once the second pass finishes refining the transcript. ## When it is not the right tool - **Calls in headphones.** Aurora hears what the phone hears. For a phone or video call where you only hear the far end in headphones, use a call joiner. [Why Aurora records from the room](https://auroraisyours.com/blog/no-meeting-bot) explains the setups that work. - **Team workspaces and integrations.** Aurora does not ship those. ## What privacy means here The speech pipeline runs on the phone: capture, transcription, speaker separation, summaries and Ask Aurora. Optional sync of conversation text goes through your own iCloud and starts off. The audio stays on the device that recorded it and is deleted after seven days. Every path is listed in the [Privacy Notice](https://auroraisyours.com/privacy/). ## Choosing between products - [Best Otter alternative for iPhone](https://auroraisyours.com/compare/otter-alternative/) - [Best Granola alternative for iPhone](https://auroraisyours.com/compare/granola-alternative/) - [Best Plaud alternative for iPhone](https://auroraisyours.com/compare/plaud-alternative/) ## How to try Aurora Aurora is in a private beta on TestFlight, free while it lasts. Invites go out in waves to people on the waitlist, one email each when the invite is ready. [Join the waitlist](https://auroraisyours.com/#waitlist) See [Aurora for iPhone](https://auroraisyours.com/iphone/) for a session step by step.