# How does Canto process recordings?

> The pipeline behind every recording — automatic upload, cloud transcription, AI notes — what each status means, and where your audio is stored.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/getting-started/how-canto-works/

Every recording moves through the same pipeline: it's captured on your device, uploaded to your account automatically, transcribed in the cloud, and then summarized and indexed for search and chat. You don't trigger any of these steps — stopping the recording starts the rest.

## What are the stages?

1. **Record** — audio is written to your device continuously while you record. On mobile this is crash-safe: if the app is killed mid-meeting, the recording is recovered the next time you open Canto.
2. **Upload** — when you stop, the audio is compressed and uploaded to your account. No button to press; it starts on its own. On mobile the upload continues in the background; on the web keep the tab open until it completes.
3. **Transcribe** — the cloud transcribes the audio with speakers separated and the language detected automatically. Nothing is transcribed while you're still recording — there is no live transcript.
4. **Summarize and index** — AI writes a title, notes with action items, and identifies speaker names where it can, and the transcript becomes searchable and chattable.

## What does each status mean?

| Status | What's happening |
| --- | --- |
| **Recording** | Audio is being captured on your device. |
| **Uploading** | The finished audio is on its way to your account. |
| **Processing** | The upload landed and transcription is being queued. |
| **Transcribing** | The transcript is being generated. |
| **Ready** | Transcript and notes are done. |

A recording stuck in one of the middle states usually means a connectivity problem during upload — see [My transcription is stuck or failed](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/transcription-stuck/). A recording can also stop at a locked state when you're out of free minutes — see [Why is my recording locked or not transcribed?](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/locked-recordings/)

## Where does my audio live?

In the cloud, attached to your Canto account. That's the source of truth: sign in on another device and everything is there — audio, transcript, notes, chats. The phone keeps a local copy of audio it recorded for instant playback, but signing out removes local copies from the device while everything stays safe in your account.

Because the account is the home of your data, recordings made anywhere — phone, web, an imported file, or the meeting notetaker — all end up in the same library. For how the audio and transcripts are protected, see [How is my data secured?](https://usecanto.com/help/privacy/data-security/)

## Does processing need an internet connection?

Recording itself doesn't — you can record offline on iOS and Android, and the upload starts when you're back online. Transcription and AI always run in the cloud, so nothing becomes a transcript until the device can upload.

## FAQ

### Can I get a transcript while still recording?

No. Canto transcribes after the recording is uploaded, not live during it.

### Does the pipeline cost minutes?

Only the transcription stage counts against the free plan's 100 min / mo monthly allowance. See [What do Free, Pro, and Team include?](https://usecanto.com/help/billing/plans/)

Related articles:

- [How does transcription work in Canto?](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/how-transcription-works/)
- [Recordings aren't syncing between devices](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/sync-across-devices/)
- [How long can a recording be?](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/recording-limits/)
- [How is my data stored and secured?](https://usecanto.com/help/privacy/data-security/)