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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.cleftnotes.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Cleft on iPhone is built for the seconds before a thought slips. Hit the Action Button, tap the lock screen widget, or just say “Hey Siri, new Cleft note” — talk for a minute, and the formatted note is waiting next time you look at your phone.

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Start fast

Five ways to start a note without unlocking or opening the app:
  • Action Button — iPhone 15 Pro and later, one press
  • Lock Screen widget — long-press the lock screen → Customize → add Cleft
  • Control Center tile (iOS 18+) — pull down from the top-right, tap Cleft Record
  • Siri — “Hey Siri, new Cleft note”
  • CarPlay (iOS 26.4+) — Cleft appears on the dashboard when you plug in
Once a recording starts, the timer runs in the Dynamic Island and a Live Activity sits on the lock screen — tap to expand and stop or save without opening the app.

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Record a note

1

Tap +

Tap + in the app, the lock screen widget, or your Action Button. Talk — pause and resume as you go, and don’t bother organising your thoughts.Cleft recording on iPhone with wireframe sphere visualization, timer, and pause/stop controls
2

Tap stop

Cleft transcribes and formats your note. You can lock the phone — processing continues in the background.Cleft processing a voice note on iPhone — 'This is good stuff' with word count
3

Read the formatted note

A summary, key points, and any action items are waiting when you come back. Edit, share, or send onward.
For mic technique and language settings, see Recording Voice Notes.

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What iPhone is best at

Always-on capture

Action Button, lock screen widget, Control Center, Live Activity — five ways to start without unlocking.

Hands-free voice

Siri, Apple Shortcuts, and Focus filters trigger recording while your hands are busy.

CarPlay recording

Hands-free voice notes from the driver’s seat — recordings transfer to your phone the moment you disconnect.

Apple Watch handoff

Catch a thought on your wrist, finish it on your phone — the audio transfers automatically.

Spotlight search

Cleft notes show up in iPhone Spotlight. Swipe down from the home screen and type a phrase to find any note.

Offline by default

Record on the subway, the trail, the plane — notes queue locally and sync the moment you’re back online.

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iPhone moments worth stealing

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Catch a thought before it slips

You’re walking. An idea lands. Press the Action Button (or tap the lock screen widget), talk for 30 seconds, lock the phone. The note is formatted and tagged by the time you’re at your desk — no app to open, no unlock to do. Pair with Custom Instructions so quick brain-dumps come back as decisions and follow-ups, not a wall of text.

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A daily note you add to all day

Pin one note — a daily journal, a project log, a travel diary — to a home-screen widget. Tap the widget every time you have something to add and Cleft appends to that note instead of starting a new one. Setup: Pin a note to your widget · Appending to Notes · Daily Capture Routines

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Hands-free in the car

Plug into CarPlay and Cleft appears on the dashboard with a voice control template — start, pause, save, all without touching the screen. The audio transfers back to your phone for transcription as soon as you disconnect. No CarPlay? “Hey Siri, new Cleft note” works the same way over your car’s speakers. Full setup in CarPlay.

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Between meetings, before you forget

Step out of a call, hit the Action Button, talk through what just happened. The Live Activity in the Dynamic Island lets you stop recording from any app. By the time the next meeting starts, Cleft is formatting it in the background. Repeatable structure: Meeting Notes System.

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From wrist to vault

Record on Apple Watch when your phone isn’t out. The audio hands off to your iPhone for transcription, then — if you’re a Plus subscriber — your Mac syncs it to your Markdown folder. Apple Watch · Exporting to a folder

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Pull a thought back via Spotlight

Forgot which note had the quote you wanted? Swipe down on your home screen, type a phrase, and Cleft notes appear right alongside Mail, Messages, and Files. Tap to jump straight to the note.

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Send straight to where you actually work

Once a note’s done, send it on without leaving Cleft:
  • Notion — Notion integration (Plus can auto-send every note)
  • Apple Reminders / Things / Todoist — Task integrations
  • Anywhere with a share sheet — Mail, Messages, Slack, Drafts
See Sending Notes for the full list.

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Lock screen, Dynamic Island, and widgets

Add a Cleft accessory to your lock screen and start a recording without unlocking. Long-press the lock screen → Customize → add Cleft above or below the clock.
Three widget types ship today: New Note (start a recording), Continue Last Note (append to whatever you recorded last), and Pinned Note (always append to the same note — great for journals and project logs).Full setup: Widgets and Action Button.
While Cleft is recording, the timer sits in the Dynamic Island and a Live Activity appears on the lock screen. Tap to expand and you’ll get tappable controls — stop, save, or cancel — without ever opening the app.
Add the Cleft Record or Continue tile to Control Center: pull down from the top-right of the screen, tap +, find Cleft. Then start a recording from any app.
Map the Action Button to Cleft via Settings → Action Button. One press starts a new voice note — no unlock, no app launch.
“Hey Siri, new Cleft note” starts a recording hands-free. Build custom Apple Shortcuts on top of Cleft’s App Intents, or trigger Cleft from Focus filters.Recipes: Apple Shortcuts integration.

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Audio

Cleft uses whichever microphone iOS routes to it:
  • Built-in microphone — works out of the box, optimised for voice
  • AirPods Pro / Max — better in noisy spots thanks to noise cancellation
  • Wired or Bluetooth headsets — pick up automatically once paired
iOS asks for microphone access the first time you record. If recording fails, open iOS Settings → Cleft → Microphone and make sure it’s enabled. Check Focus mode permissions too — some Focus filters silence the mic.
  • Hold the phone six to eight inches from your mouth
  • Step away from background music or busy traffic when you can
  • For long recordings, AirPods cut down ambient noise more than the built-in mic

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Settings

Open Cleft and tap the gear icon:
  • General — theme, transcription language, date and time format, Preflight Mode for offline
  • Style — how Cleft formats your notes
  • Integrations — Notion, Apple Reminders, and other destinations
  • Widgets — in-app guide for adding lock and home screen widgets
  • Account, Support, Roadmap
System-level controls — microphone permission, Siri phrase, Focus filters, Action Button mapping — live in the iOS Settings app.

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Troubleshooting

Microphone not working? iOS Settings → Cleft → Microphone → make sure it’s enabled. Check Focus mode permissions too.Notes not syncing? Open the note and pull down on the detail view to refresh. Confirm you’re signed in to the same account on every device.Widget not updating? Remove and re-add the widget. iOS schedules widget refreshes on its own — they don’t update instantly.Still stuck? Contact support.