Questions and answers
What does Riff do?
Riff does two things with your voice on a Mac. Hold fn in any app, talk, and let go, and Riff puts polished text at the caret. When a call starts, Riff records both sides without a bot, and afterward writes the notes around the ones you typed, with transcript links in the added notes.
What do I need to run Riff?
A Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 27 or later. What Riff needs covers the permissions and the writing models.
How do I get Riff?
Riff is in early access for Mac. Ask for an invitation by email.
How much does Riff cost?
Nothing. Riff is free, with every feature. It can sign in with a Plus One account, and it sells Plus One plans and credit packs through the web checkout, which add credits for app features that run in the cloud. A new Plus One account gets 100 free credits. No Riff feature uses credits.
Is my voice uploaded?
No. Riff transcribes speech on your Mac with Apple Speech, or with Parakeet Ultra if you download it. Transcribed on your Mac has the details.
Where does Riff write notes?
Riff writes with Apple’s on-device model when Apple Intelligence is available. Otherwise it writes Basic notes and uses Light cleanup. Writing on your Mac explains the models.
Does Riff work offline?
Yes. Transcription runs on your Mac. Without a network connection, Riff writes with the model on your Mac if Apple Intelligence is on, and writes Basic notes if it is not. Dictation falls back to Light cleanup when no model can answer.
Does a bot join my meetings?
No. Riff records from your Mac, your microphone for your side and the sound your Mac plays for theirs. Nothing joins the call.
Which meeting apps does Riff notice?
Zoom, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, Slack huddles, Webex, Discord, and calls in Chrome, Safari, Arc, Edge, Brave, and Firefox. Riff notices when one of them starts using your microphone. You can also start a note from the menu bar at any time.
How do I tell people I am taking notes?
Choose Copy Notice in the recording bar and paste the sentence into the meeting chat. It reads “I’m taking notes with Riff. The recording stays on my Mac.”
Why does Riff need Accessibility access?
To paste dictations into other apps, read the text before the caret for smart spacing, and rewrite a selection with edit by voice. Without it, Riff copies each dictation to the clipboard, and you paste it with Command-V.
Can I use a key other than fn?
Yes. In Settings you can choose the right Option, right Command, or right Control key, or record a key combination.
Which transcription engine should I choose?
Apple Speech is the default. It downloads Apple’s speech model for your language as needed. Parakeet Ultra, about 1.2 GB, transcribes 25 European languages as you talk. You can choose a different engine for dictation and for meetings.
Can Riff tell who said what?
Yes. Download speaker labels, about 250 MB, in Settings under Models. When a meeting ends, Riff tells apart the voices on the other side of the call and the people around your Mac, and you name each one in the transcript.
Does Riff need an account?
No. Every feature works without one. If you want, sign in to a Plus One account in Riff's settings with Sign in with Apple, a passkey, or a code we email you, and the other Iterator apps on your Mac sign in too. The account holds your sign-in, and a plan and credits if you have them. It never holds your audio, transcripts, notes, or dictations.
How do I report a problem?
Choose Submit Feedback… in the Riff menu or the Help menu, describe what happened, and add screenshots or screen recordings with Add Images or Videos…, drag and drop, or paste, up to 10 and 1 GB together. Send delivers what you wrote and what you added, with the app version and Mac model, whether or not Share diagnostics is on. With Share diagnostics off, turn on Include diagnostics to send your recent screens and actions with that report.
Is my data used to train models?
No. Riff uses nothing you say, type, or record to train any model.
How long does Riff keep audio?
Forever, unless you choose 30 days, 7 days, or not to keep audio in Settings. Transcripts and notes stay when their audio is deleted.
Where are my notes and recordings kept?
In Riff’s library, one file in Documents › Riff. Riff keeps it out of iCloud Drive, so it stays on your Mac even when iCloud Drive syncs your Documents folder. Settings under Privacy shows where it is, with Show in Finder.
Can I get my notes out of Riff?
Yes. Export a note as Markdown, copy it, or share it. Siri and Shortcuts can create notes, add text to them, start meeting notes, and summarize a meeting.
How does Riff compare with Granola, Wispr Flow, and Superwhisper?
Riff combines dictation in any app with meeting notes built around what you type. Compare Riff with Granola, Wispr Flow, and Superwhisper.
Where is Riff when I am not using it?
In the menu bar. Riff has no window until you open one, and shows in the Dock while its library window is open.