Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to record my doctor's appointment?

Recording laws vary by state. Most states (38 + DC) require only one-party consent, meaning you can record a conversation you're part of without asking permission.

• One-party consent states — you can record without asking: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Washington D.C.
• Two-party (all-party) consent states — require everyone's consent: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington

Note: Some states have nuances between phone calls and in-person conversations. Vermont has no state law, so federal one-party consent applies.

Our recommendation: Always get permission — most doctors welcome engaged patients.

Sources: World Population Review, Justia 50 State Survey

Should I tell my doctor I'm recording?

We recommend it. Most doctors appreciate patients who want to remember their advice accurately, and mentioning it upfront avoids any awkwardness.

A simple approach: show your doctor the in-app prompt, which reads: "I'm using an app to take notes today — to help me listen fully, follow your instructions, and share your guidance with family." Most doctors should say yes.

Recording medical visits is becoming common. In fact, 93% of health systems are already using or planning to adopt AI tools for medical documentation. Your doctor may already be recording for their own notes.

Does Patiently work with telehealth appointments?

Yes. Whether your appointment is on Zoom, WebEx, Google Meet, or another platform, Patiently can capture it. Just take the call on your computer or tablet, and keep your iPhone nearby to record:

1. Join the telehealth call on your computer or tablet
2. Open Patiently on your iPhone and tap Record
3. Place your phone near the computer speaker
4. When the call ends, stop recording in Patiently

For best results, use a quiet room and keep your phone close to the speaker. Patiently will capture both sides of the conversation.

Note: Recording a telehealth call taken on the same iPhone is not currently supported.

Can I use a recording I already have?

Yes. If you have a recording in Voice Memos or another app, tap share and choose Patiently from the share sheet. Patiently will transcribe and summarize it just like a live recording. The title carries over from Voice Memos, and you can edit the recording date afterward.

Is Patiently HIPAA compliant?

Patiently is a consumer app where users record and store their own health information. HIPAA applies to healthcare providers and their business associates, not personal health tools like this.

That said, we take privacy seriously:

• Data encrypted at rest and in transit (Firebase/Google Cloud)
• Face ID / Touch ID protection
• Sign-in via Apple or Google, we never see your password
• AI processing only, your data isn't used to train models
• Never sold to advertisers
• Full deletion rights, individual visits or entire account

As we grow and explore partnerships with healthcare organizations, SOC 2 and HIPAA compliance are on our roadmap.

Where does my data live and how is it secured?

Your data is stored securely in Google Firebase (Google Cloud Platform), with servers in the United States. This includes:

• Audio recordings (Google Cloud Storage)
• Transcripts, summaries, and AI analysis (Firestore database)
• Family member information
• Chat history

All data is encrypted at rest and in transit. You can delete individual visits or your entire account at any time from within the app.

Is my data used to train AI models?

No. We use AI services (Google Gemini, OpenAI, Perplexity) solely for processing your recordings and generating summaries. Your data is not used to train their models.

Who can see my recordings and summaries?

Only you—unless you choose to share.

Your visits are private by default. No one at Patiently reviews your recordings or reads your summaries. The AI processes your audio automatically, and only you see the results.

You can send a copy of a visit (summary, full notes, or recording) to anyone through email, text, or other apps — once sent, it's like any other message. You can also give someone ongoing access in their own Patiently app, which you can revoke at any time.

What do I get after recording?

Within about a minute of finishing your recording, Patiently gives you:

• Full transcript — Every word from your appointment, with timestamps so you can find specific moments
• Plain-language summary — The key points: diagnoses discussed, medications mentioned, follow-up steps, and test results
• Health Topics — Medical terms automatically extracted and explained in simple language

Each visit becomes part of your Medical Memory—a searchable record you can refer back to anytime, and ask questions about later.

Can I ask questions after the appointment?

Yes. After your appointment, when you're home and have time to think, you can ask Patiently anything about what was discussed.

Try questions like:

• "What did the doctor say about my blood pressure medication?"
• "When is my next appointment supposed to be?"
• "What were the side effects she mentioned?"
• "Did he say anything about my diet?"

Patiently answers based on what your doctor actually said, with references to the specific visit so you can verify. It's like being able to replay every appointment.

What if something is missing or wrong?

The AI is highly accurate, but it's not perfect—especially with unusual medical terms, strong accents, or background noise in the room.

If something seems off:

• Check the transcript — The summary highlights key points, but the full transcript has everything. Details might be there even if they weren't included in the summary.
• Listen to the audio — Your original recording is always saved. The transcript includes timestamp anchors so you can find specific moments and listen back.

The summary is a helpful starting point, but your recording is the source of truth. When in doubt, listen back.

How do I track visits for multiple family members?

Patiently lets you manage health visits for your whole family in one app—yourself, your kids, aging parents, or anyone you care for.

Here's how it works:

1. Go to Settings and add each family member by name
2. When you record or add a visit, choose who the appointment was for
3. Each person's visits stay organized separately

You can filter your visit list by family member anytime, so you can quickly find "all of Mom's appointments" or "my kids' pediatrician visits."

How do I send a visit to someone?

You can send visit details to anyone — a friend, a family member, your doctor, or another care provider. Open the visit, tap Share, and choose what to send:

• Just the summary
• Full notes (transcript + summary)
• The voice recording

Send it through email, text message, WhatsApp, or any app on your phone. The recipient doesn't need a Patiently account — they'll receive it like any other message.

Can I give someone ongoing access to a visit?

Yes. If you want a family member or caregiver to have a visit in their own Patiently app — for example, both parents staying up to date on a child's pediatrician visits, or siblings keeping track of an aging parent's care — you can invite them by email.

To set this up:

1. Open the visit
2. Tap Share, then Manage Access
3. Enter their email address

They'll see the visit in their own Patiently app with the full transcript, summary, and audio. They need to have Patiently installed and be signed in with that email address.

You stay in control — you can remove someone's access at any time, and the visit will disappear from their app.

How do I sign in?

Patiently uses your existing Apple or Google account—no new password to create or remember.

When you open the app, tap "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google." If you're already signed into your phone with that account, it takes just one tap.

Your sign-in is handled securely by Apple or Google—we never see or store your password. If you use Sign in with Apple, you can even choose to hide your email address for extra privacy.

Can I use Patiently on multiple devices?

Yes. Your visits sync automatically across all your Apple devices.

Just sign in with the same Apple or Google account on each device. You might record appointments on your iPhone, then later review the transcripts and summaries on your iPad at home.

Everything stays in sync—visits, family members, and your chat history.

Can I access my visits from a computer?

Yes. Sign in at patiently.me to view your visits, transcripts, summaries, and chat history from any browser — great for when you want to read through a visit on a bigger screen or copy details into another document.

The web view is currently read-only. Recording visits, asking chat questions, and medical article research are only available on iPhone.

Have a feature suggestion? Let us know at support@patiently.me.

Is Patiently available on Android?

Not yet. Patiently is currently available on iPhone only.

Interested in an Android version? We'd love to hear from you — email us at support@patiently.me.

Can I delete my data?

Yes—you're in full control of your data.

Delete a single visit: Open the visit, tap the menu, and choose Delete. This permanently removes the audio recording, transcript, summary, and all related data for that visit.

Delete everything: Go to Settings and tap "Delete Account." This removes all your data from our servers—every visit, every recording, your family members, and your chat history. It's permanent and cannot be undone.

Note: Simply deleting the app from your phone does not delete your data. Your visits are stored in the cloud, so they'll still be there if you reinstall. Use "Delete Account" in Settings if you want to permanently erase everything.