Record from the Android widget and tile

On Android you can start a recording from two places outside the app: a Start recording home-screen widget, and a Canto tile in Quick Settings — the panel you swipe down from the top of the screen. Both open Canto with a recording already running.

How do I add the home-screen widget?

1. Touch and hold an empty area of the home screen and tap Widgets.
2. Find Canto in the list and drag the Start recording widget onto the home screen.
3. Tap it whenever you want to record — Canto opens straight into a running recording.

How do I add the Quick Settings tile?

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen (twice on most phones) to open the full Quick Settings panel.
2. Tap the edit (pencil) button.
3. Find the Canto tile among the available tiles and drag it into your active set.
4. From then on, tapping the tile starts a recording — even from the lock screen area of Quick Settings, though the phone unlocks to open the recorder.

The tile is worth setting up if you record on short notice: it's reachable from inside any app with one swipe.

What happens after I tap?

A normal recording starts. The persistent "Recording…" notification appears (Android requires one for microphone use in the background — it's also your indicator that the mic is live), and the recorder screen offers pause, Stop, Discard, plus title, notes, and the Bookmark button. See Start, pause, and resume a recording

The recording uploads and transcribes exactly like one started in the app — see How does Canto process recordings?

FAQ

The widget or tile does nothing or asks me to sign in

Recording needs a signed-in account. Open Canto, sign in once, and the shortcuts work from then on. See Download Canto and sign in

Can the widget show anything besides the record button?

No — it's a single-purpose start button. Recording state lives in the notification while recording is running.

Does the tile work with the phone locked?

Tapping it prompts you to unlock, then starts the recording. Android doesn't allow the microphone to start from a locked tile silently — which is the behavior you want from a recorder.

Is there an iOS equivalent?

Yes — a home-screen widget plus Control Center, Lock Screen, and Action Button controls on iOS 18. See Record from iOS widgets and Control Center