Getting Started
Download TraceNote from the App Store and start your 7-day free trial. No account is required — the app works entirely on your device.
When you open TraceNote you will see the home screen with two options:
- New Session — start a new documentation session immediately
- My Sessions — view all your previous sessions
The first time you use audio recording, document scanning, or location tagging, iOS will ask for the relevant permissions. Grant them to unlock the full feature set.
Starting a Session
Tap New Session from the home screen. You can optionally give the session a title — if you leave it blank, TraceNote will name it automatically using the mode and date. Then choose how to begin:
- Audio Recording — starts recording immediately and begins live transcription
- Photo — opens the camera for a photo
- Video — opens the camera for a video clip
- Document Scan — opens the document scanner
- Note — opens a text note input
- Signature — opens the signature capture screen
During a Session
While a session is active, a floating toolbar sits at the bottom of the screen with one icon button for each capture type. Tap any icon to add content at any time:
- 🎙 Microphone — start audio recording (only visible when not already recording)
- 📷 Camera — take a photo
- 🎬 Video — record a video clip
- 🗒 Document — scan a printed document
- 📝 Note — type a text note
- ✍️ Signature — collect a signature
Every item you add is timestamped and added to the session timeline in chronological order. Audio recording continues in the background if you switch apps or lock your screen.
Audio Transcription
When audio recording is active, TraceNote automatically transcribes speech to text in real time using Apple's on-device Speech Recognition. The live transcript appears at the top of the session screen.
Transcription is chunked every 50 seconds to stay within Apple's recognition limits. Each chunk is saved with its time offset and included in the PDF export. Transcription uses your device's system language. An internet connection may improve accuracy for some languages, but is not required.
Scanning Documents
Tap the document icon in the toolbar to open the scanner. Hold your device over a document — TraceNote automatically detects edges and captures a clean, flat scan. You can scan multiple pages in one go. Text is extracted automatically using OCR and is included in the session timeline and export package.
Collecting Signatures
Tap the signature icon during a session. The signer enters their full name, draws their signature on the screen, and can optionally agree to a consent statement you type in. The completed signature is saved to the session timeline with a timestamp and included in the PDF export.
Exporting a Session
Open any completed session and tap Export. TraceNote builds an export package — a folder named after the session and date — containing:
- SessionName.pdf — a professional document named after the session, with the cover page, full chronological timeline, complete audio transcript, photos, document scans, and signature block. Each media file is identified by name in the PDF so you can find it easily in the same folder.
- HH-mm-ss_audio.m4a — each audio recording, named by the time it started
- HH-mm-ss_photo.jpg — each photo, named by the time it was captured
- HH-mm-ss_video.mp4 — each video clip, named by capture time
- HH-mm-ss_scan_p1.jpg — each page of each document scan, named by capture time
Share the export package via AirDrop, save it to Files, send it by email, or open it in Teams, OneDrive, or any other app using the iOS share sheet.
Managing Your Subscription
TraceNote uses a 7-day free trial followed by an annual auto-renewable subscription, managed entirely by Apple. To manage or cancel your subscription:
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad
- Tap your name → Subscriptions
- Select TraceNote and manage from there
To restore a previous purchase on a new device, open TraceNote and tap Restore Purchases on the paywall screen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is my data stored in the cloud?
No. All session data — recordings, photos, signatures, transcripts — is stored entirely on your device. Nothing is uploaded to external servers.
Does transcription require an internet connection?
Transcription uses Apple's on-device speech recognition and works without an internet connection. A connection may improve accuracy for some languages.
Can I use TraceNote on iPad?
Yes. TraceNote supports both iPhone and iPad running iOS 18 or later.
What languages does the app support?
TraceNote automatically uses your iOS system language. Supported languages include English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Greek, Catalan, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian. If your language is not listed, the app falls back to English.
How long can a session be?
There is no hard time limit. Audio is recorded continuously and transcribed in rolling 50-second chunks for as long as you need.
Where are my session files stored?
Sessions are stored in the app's private Documents folder on your device, and are included in iCloud Backup if you have that enabled.
Contact Us
Can't find the answer you need? Email us at TraceNote@Boneardt.co.uk and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.