Bluetooth headsets and speakers

Bluetooth is fine for hearing a call. It's the least reliable way to record your voice.

What goes wrong#

• Speakers that double as a mic, like a portable speakerphone, can drop out a few seconds into a recording.
• Headsets switch to call quality when their mic is in use, and can disconnect when you walk away or they go to sleep.

When the mic stops, recd beeps and says Your microphone stopped sending audio. The recording is still going. If this is a Bluetooth headset, it may have disconnected. In a meeting, a panel under the menu bar says The mic track stopped.

What works#

• Choose your Mac's built-in mic, or a wired or USB mic, in Settings › Recording › Microphone.
• Keep your Bluetooth headphones for listening. recd records the call's sound from the Mac itself, not from your headphones, so the other side is still recorded while it plays in your ears.
• Avoid Mac default if a Bluetooth device often becomes the default input when it connects.