The recorder is one screen you can run the whole meeting from. The top shows the recording time, the sound level and a timeline of the recording. The middle shows the agenda. The quick marks, the camera and the Start / Pause / Resume button sit at the bottom, where your thumb is.
Before you start: consent
Always tell everyone at the start that the meeting is being recorded, and why. Until you start, the recorder shows the reminder "Tell everyone the meeting is being recorded."
- Open the meeting and tap Record meeting.
- Announce the recording.
- Tap Start recording. The first time, your iPhone or Mac asks for permission to use the microphone. Allow it.
The screen stays on while the recorder is open, so put the phone on the table with the screen facing up.
Follow the agenda
The agenda strip lists the standard items for the meeting type. A site meeting uses the 14-item JBCC agenda, a client meeting has 9 items and a site inspection has 5.
- When the meeting opens, tap Begin (or item 01).
- Each time the discussion moves on, tap the next item in the strip, or tap Next under the current item.
- Under Cover, the current item lists the standard points to raise, such as "Progress against programme" or "CIs required". Tick them off as you go.
Each tap marks the recording, so the minutes fall into the right sections. The heading shows how many items you have covered, for example "Agenda · 6/14 covered".
Quick marks
There are six quick marks: Action, Decision, CI needed, Snag, Delay / rain and Note.
- Tap a mark the moment something comes up. It is stamped with the time and the agenda item under discussion.
- A bar appears where you can add a few words, such as "Paint sample by Friday". Tap Save, or Skip if you do not want to type. If you leave it, the bar hides itself after a few seconds.
- To change a label later, tap the mark in the Captured list. To remove a mark, press and hold it and choose Remove mark…. Removing a mark never affects the recording.
On a Mac or an iPad with a keyboard, press ⌘1 to ⌘6 for the six marks.
Photos while recording
On iPhone and iPad, tap the camera button next to Pause. The photo is filed under the agenda item being discussed, and recording carries on while the camera is open. Photos appear in the Captured list with their time. See them all later on sheet 02 Photos.
Pause, resume and finish
- Pause closes the current part of the recording. Resume starts a new part. Nothing is lost.
- SiteMinutes also starts a new part every 15 minutes by itself. If a file is ever damaged, you only lose that part, not the whole meeting.
- Done asks "Stop recording and close?". Choose Stop & close to finish or Keep recording to carry on. All audio stays with the meeting, and you can continue later from the meeting sheet.
There is no discard button: SiteMinutes never throws away a recording.
When a phone call comes in
A call, Siri or another app can take over the microphone. When that happens:
- SiteMinutes closes the current part and keeps everything recorded so far.
- A notice shows the time of the interruption.
- When the call ends, recording resumes by itself in a new part.
If it does not resume, open SiteMinutes and tap Resume now. SiteMinutes also keeps retrying on its own. The call itself is not recorded.
Microphones and headsets
The chip at the top right shows which microphone is in use. A Bluetooth headset only hears the person wearing it, so SiteMinutes switches to the phone's own microphone when a headset connects. Wired and USB microphones are left alone. If the microphone changes during the meeting, a notice tells you and recording continues.
Storage
One hour of audio needs about 30 MB. If your device has less than about 300 MB free when you start, SiteMinutes warns you. See Troubleshooting for how to free up space.