Four Tabs, One Workflow
The 12scribe app interface is organized into four main tabs at the bottom of the screen. Each tab handles a distinct part of your workflow — from organizing projects to adjusting app-wide settings. Once you understand where everything lives, navigating the app becomes second nature.
Everything in 12scribe revolves around projects. You create a project, record audio inside it, add markers, transcribe, and review. The four tabs — Projects, Recording, Profile, and Settings — give you quick access to every stage of that process without deep menu hierarchies or hidden screens.
The interface is intentionally simple. Most actions take one or two taps. The app prioritizes speed and ease of use because you often interact with it during live sessions — lectures, meetings, interviews — where fumbling through menus is not an option.
Projects Tab
The Projects tab is your home screen and the place you will visit most often. It shows all your projects and playlists in a scrollable list, sorted by most recently used. Each project card displays the title, total recording duration, number of markers, and transcription status at a glance.
From this tab you can create new projects, open existing ones, or organize them into different project types. Long-press any project to access quick actions — rename, delete, move to a playlist, or view storage details. The search bar at the top lets you filter projects by name instantly.
Playlists appear in the same list, visually grouped above or between projects. They work like folders — tap a playlist to see all the projects it contains. You can customize each playlist with a unique icon and color for instant visual recognition.
Recording Tab
The Recording tab is where active recording happens. When you start a recording from within a project, this tab shows the live recording interface with four key elements:
- A live timer counting elapsed recording time
- A real-time audio waveform providing visual feedback that audio is being captured
- The marker panel with quick-add buttons for Flag, Favorite, and Fire markers
- Pause and Stop controls for managing the recording session
The recording screen is designed for one-handed, eyes-free operation during live sessions. You can add markers with a single tap while keeping your attention on the speaker. The screen also works with the phone locked — recording continues in the background with a red status bar indicator.
When you are not actively recording, this tab shows a prompt to select a project and start a new session. Learn the full recording workflow in How to Record Audio.
Profile and Settings
The Profile tab shows your account status, subscription plan, and usage quotas. Here you can see how many transcription minutes you have remaining this month, check the reset date, manage connected devices, and link your Apple ID or email if you started as a guest. The quota display updates in real time as you use transcription.
The Settings tab controls app-wide preferences that serve as defaults for new projects:
- Default transcription language — the language used for new projects unless overridden
- Buffer duration — how many seconds of audio are captured before each marker tap
- Auto-transcription toggle — whether new projects auto-transcribe by default
- Cloud sync preferences — what data syncs to the cloud (metadata, audio, or both)
- Notification settings — push notifications for completed transcriptions and sync events
Per-project settings (like transcription language or AI detail level) override these global defaults. You configure per-project options inside each project's settings screen. This gives you the flexibility to use English transcription for your classes and a different language for personal recordings, all within the same app.