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Using Ava for Casual Conversations (in-person)

Get fast live-captions for when you're at the store, visiting the doctor, eating at a restaurant, chit-chatting, and more!

Updated over 5 months ago

Conversation with one speaker

Would you like to talk to a friend, a work colleague or ask a sales clerk for an item? Ava can help you in all these situations and many more to get a real-time transcription of your exchanges!

  • Open Ava on your phone, and in just a few seconds a conversation opens up and the microphone is automatically activated (the icon turns blue to let you know).

  • Turn your phone's microphone towards the person you're talking to.

Ava instantly starts captioning your speaker, and the screen automatically rotates so you can easily read the transcript.

If you wish, you can reply by typing your answer on the keyboard, and Ava can vocalize your response. Click here to find out more.

Watch our tutorial video for an in-depth guide on getting started with Ava!


The Ava app for group conversations

Ava is designed to transcribe group conversations. Our engineers have developed a solution that differentiates between the voices of each person and displays each participant in a different color.

  • Invite your contacts to join your Ava conversation with their own smartphone.

  • Ask your interlocutors to scan your QR code or send them your Ava link by pressing "Add" in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen during a conversation.

  • They'll instantly join your conversation - no download required. Each phone is then used as a microphone, and transcription is more accurate.

For longer or recurring exchanges:

For more frequent exchanges, such as with your doctor, or for group exchanges, invite your contacts to download the Ava application.

With this configuration, you can be at a distance and exchange without any problem. Ava picks up sound from different phones, and each caller appears in a different color.

  • Click here to learn how to transcribe a group conversation

  • Click here to find out how to change the settings of a group conversation.


For conversations in public places (restaurants, bars, nightclubs, etc.)

Be aware that background noise significantly reduces the accuracy of transcriptions.

For the best possible accuracy, it's important that participants hold the microphone close to their mouths when speaking. This is not necessarily comfortable at dinner parties, so another option would be to use an external microphone that can be clipped onto a jacket. It's also more practical to prepare participants to use Ava before the meeting (to download the app and test it).


Keep the transcript of a conversation

The discussions you transcribe with Ava can be very important, for example with a notary, a banker or your doctor. Ava helps you keep transcripts of these conversations, so you can use them as notes and read them again whenever you like. Learn how to activate this feature here.


Confidentiality of exchanges with Ava

Reluctant to use Ava to talk to your doctor or make an appointment at the bank?

Conversations on Ava are private, and the written transcripts you keep (if you so choose) are recorded locally directly on your phone. Any audio extracts are fragmented and anonymized.

You can use Ava with your doctor, feel free to consult this article for more details on our commitments regarding the confidentiality of your exchanges and this article on GDPR compliance (you can also share them with your doctor if needed).


Our tips and tricks

📲  Hold the phone near the speaker with the microphone on. Keep the phone within 1 to 2 feet or less of the speaker so Ava can hear what they are saying.

📴 Make sure you have stable internet connection. If you can't connect to WiFi or good LTE, use Ava in Offline Mode.

🎙 Background Noise? Consider getting a Bluetooth microphone to use with Ava. Pass a Bluetooth microphone so Ava can "hear" from farther away.

🔄  Rotate your phone and ask your friend to speak clearly. Bring the phone closer to the speaker and turn the phone (make sure your orientation isn't locked!). This helps improve accuracy.

⌨️ Make your voice heard with Ava Voice

Simply type into a conversation and let Ava Voice express your ideas. Explore and select the voice that best reflects your identity and personality from a variety of male, female and neutral voices.


Correct Ava’s typos. Correct any mis-captioned words by tapping on the word and pressing “Edit” or “Delete.” This helps Ava learn for the future!

👥 Ava can now distinguish different voices on a single device (Paid Feature)

What do the Mic Colors Mean?

  • Blue: microphone ON

  • White: microphone OFF

  • White with Blue: Offline Mode

  • Green: Scribe captions


What about online meeting? Online video?

Ava is a complete solution, available on smartphone, tablet and computer. The mobile app for face-to-face exchanges, with friends or in the office, and the computer software for videoconferences, online meetings and videos. Click here to find out more about computer subtitling.

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