# Does Canto record in the background?

> Yes on iOS and Android — with the screen locked or other apps open. What interruptions do, what the web can't do, and what long recordings cost in battery.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/recording/background-recording/

Yes on iOS and Android: a recording keeps running with the screen locked, the phone in your pocket, or another app in front. On the web it does not — the browser tab has to stay open for the whole recording.

## On iOS

Start recording and use the phone normally; the recording continues in the background. The Live Activity in the Dynamic Island and on the Lock Screen shows that recording is running and for how long — see [Record from iOS widgets and Control Center](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/ios-widgets-live-activity/).

iOS gives the microphone to one app at a time. If a phone call comes in or another app takes the microphone, Canto shows "Paused by another app — will resume automatically" — and it does exactly that: when the interruption ends, recording resumes on its own. The interrupted stretch is not captured (nothing can record during a call), so you get one recording with that gap closed up.

## On Android

Recording runs as a foreground service, which is why a persistent "Recording…" notification appears — Android requires it, and it doubles as your indicator that the microphone is live. The notification shows "Recording paused" while paused. Don't force-stop the app from system settings mid-recording; use **Stop** in the app or the notification.

Some phones (aggressive battery managers on certain manufacturers) can kill background apps anyway. If a long recording ends early on your device, exempt Canto from battery optimization in system settings.

## On the web

The web recorder works only while its tab is open. Closing the tab or letting the laptop sleep ends the recording; what was captured up to that point is kept and uploaded. For meetings where you can't babysit a tab, record on your phone or send the notetaker instead — see [What is the notetaker?](https://usecanto.com/help/notetaker/what-is-the-notetaker/)

## What if the app crashes mid-recording?

On iOS and Android the audio is written to disk continuously, so a crash or force-quit loses at most a fraction of a second. The next time you open Canto, the recording is recovered and finishes normally. If a recording did come back shorter than expected, see [My recording is lost or silent](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/recording-lost-or-silent/).

## How much battery does it use?

Recording is cheap compared to a lit screen — the file is compact and nothing is transcribed live. A multi-hour session on a phone is fine, but for all-day recording: lock the screen (that's the biggest saving), and start with a reasonable charge. Upload after a long session is the other battery/data moment; on Wi-Fi it's quick.

## FAQ

### Does backgrounding delay the transcript?

No. The recording uploads when you stop, whether the app was in front or not.

### Can I record while on a phone call?

No — the call owns the microphone, so iOS pauses the recording until the call ends (see above). Android behaves equivalently.

Related articles:

- [Start, pause, and resume a recording](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/start-pause-stop/)
- [How long can a recording be?](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/recording-limits/)
- [My recording is missing or silent](https://usecanto.com/help/troubleshooting/recording-lost-or-silent/)