How to record Google Meet without a bot, and without being the host

Google Meet’s own recording is only on some Google Workspace plans, it saves the recording to the organiser’s Drive, and everyone on the call is told it has started. Notetaker bots get around the plan, but they arrive as an extra tile in the call that someone has to admit.

If you want notes from a Meet call without either, record it from your own computer. Meet runs in your browser, your computer plays the other people’s voices, and trepil records that sound and your microphone. Nothing joins the call.

What you need

• A Mac with Apple Silicon. Windows is on the way.
• Google Meet in any browser.
• trepil. Download it for Mac or use it in your browser.

Set it up once

The first time, trepil needs your microphone and permission to hear system audio. The Zoom guide walks through both, step by step; it is the same for Meet.

Then add your Google account to the Mac in System Settings, Internet Accounts, and turn on Apple Calendar in trepil. Meet links live in calendar events, so this is where it pays off: trepil reminds you 10 minutes before the meeting, and Join and take notes opens the Meet link in your browser and starts recording in one press. The note takes the event’s title and the names of the people invited.

Record the call

Press Join and take notes on the reminder, or join the call and start a meeting in trepil. If you do neither, trepil notices your browser has started using the microphone and offers to record.

Type a few words into the note if you like while people talk. When the call ends, press Stop, or let trepil stop on its own: it notices the call has ended and counts down for 10 seconds before it stops, in case you want to keep going.

What you get

A note with a summary, the decisions with the time each was made, and a checklist of who does what. The transcript has names on every line, from the invite. You can share the note as a link, export it, or ask it a question later.

A word on Workspace accounts

If your company manages your Google account, recording a meeting may be covered by its policies, separate from the law where you are. When in doubt, ask, and always tell the people on the call that you are taking notes with a notetaker.

Quick answers

Does Meet show that I’m recording? No. Meet’s recording isn’t used and nothing joins, so Meet has nothing to show. Telling people is up to you.

Does it matter which browser? No. trepil records the sound your computer plays, from any browser.

Can I record a Meet call on my phone? Not the call itself. Calls are recorded by the Mac app, with Windows on the way. The iPhone app, also on the way, is for voice memos and reading your notes.