Record interviews wherever the story takes you. ScreenApp’s mobile app captures sources, research subjects, and documentary content, and turns the recording into a transcript with AI notes.
Record a Field Interview, Get the Transcript and Notes
A field interview recorder needs to work away from a desk: on a doorstep, in a car, in a building with no signal. ScreenApp’s iOS and Android app records on the device and records offline on iOS and Android and uploads when the connection returns, so a dead zone does not cost you the interview.
Once you’re back within range, the recording uploads and comes back as a transcript with speaker labels, so you can find a quote by searching the text instead of scrubbing through audio.
What you get with every recording:
- A transcript with speaker labels and timestamps, in 100+ languages
- records offline on iOS and Android and uploads when the connection returns
- AI notes and AI chat: ask a question about the interview and get an answer that points to the moment it happened
- search across recordings by name or transcript
- Export as PDF, DOCX, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Free plan: 2 transcriptions of recordings up to 45 minutes each, with AI chat
How to Record a Field Interview
- Download ScreenApp before you leave: Get the app from the iOS App Store or Google Play and sign in. It’s ready to record with no connection once it’s installed.
- Record the interview: Open the app and press record. It runs in the background while you focus on the questions, and keeps recording through a dead zone.
- Tag and transcribe: After the interview, add a tag for the source, location, or story so it’s easy to find later. The transcript and AI notes are ready a few minutes after the recording uploads.
Audio quality depends on the phone’s position: close to whoever is speaking and away from wind or background noise works best. See how we measure accuracy.
Field Interview Recorder vs Other Apps
| Feature | ScreenApp | Otter.ai | Rev Voice Recorder |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free recording | 2 transcriptions, up to 45 min each | 300 min/month, 30 min per conversation | Recording free, transcription paid |
| Offline recording | iOS and Android apps record offline | Otter stores audio locally if the connection drops, with no live transcript | Not stated |
| Languages | 100+ | 6 | Not stated |
| Search across recordings | search across recordings by name or transcript | Included | Not stated |
| Paid plan | $19/month annual | $8.33/month billed annually, or $16.99 monthly | $25.49/month annual |
Sources, checked 2026-10-01: screenapp.io/accuracy#languages, ScreenApp pricing, otter.ai/pricing, help.otter.ai/hc/en-us/articles/40917035359255, rev.com/pricing
- vs Otter.ai: Otter stores audio locally if the connection drops, with no live transcript, while ScreenApp’s app records fully offline and transcribes once you reconnect. Otter’s free plan caps out at 300 minutes a month and 30 minutes per conversation.
- vs Rev Voice Recorder: Rev’s recorder app is free, but transcription is billed by subscription starting at $25.49 a month (billed annually) for an AI transcript, so a busy reporting schedule adds up. ScreenApp’s plans include the transcript and AI notes with the recording.
Who Uses a Field Interview Recorder
Investigative journalists record meetings with sources, officials, and witnesses away from the newsroom. The transcript keeps a searchable record of exactly what was said, with a timestamp for every quote.
Documentary filmmakers capture pre-interviews and b-roll audio in subjects’ homes, workplaces, and communities. Transcripts make it faster to find the moments worth cutting into the final piece.
Academic researchers record qualitative interviews with study participants in the field. Transcripts export in a format ready for coding and analysis software.
Oral historians record family and community histories in living rooms, nursing homes, and community centers, and keep a searchable transcript alongside the original audio.
Podcast producers record guests on location instead of in the studio, then work from the transcript when editing the episode.
Field researchers and consultants record site visits and stakeholder interviews on their phone, and the same recording is available on desktop afterwards for writing up.
