Common FAQs – Beam

Login & Setup

How do I log in to Magic Notes?

To access Magic Notes, go to the URL magicnotes.ai on your either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser.
After entering your work email, a secure code will be sent to your inbox.
Copy and paste the code where prompted on either your phone or laptop to login.
Click here for a full guide on how to login.

Do I have to log in every time I want to make a recording or view my Magic Notes summaries?

No - you will have to log in the first time you access Magic Notes from a new device.
You will have to log in again after a period of inactivity - 7 days.
This is for security purposes.

Why isn’t there a Magic Notes app?

Magic Notes is currently a web app for security reasons.
Summaries aren’t stored on personal devices to protect sensitive information.
With a web app, if a device is lost or stolen, the information can’t be accessed.
This may change in the future, but for now, you can access Magic Notes via the web app securely.

Can I make a recording from 2 different devices at once?

No, you can only make one recording at a time from one device. If you are recording from your phone, you won’t be able to start a second recording on your phone or your laptop and will instead be prompted to save the first recording before starting your next.

Can I make edits to summaries from my phone?

No, currently you can only edit or make changes to your summary from your laptop.
This is why we recommend treating your phone as the primary recording device, and your laptop as the primary editing device.
You can still record from your laptop if needed.

What happens if someone doesn't want to be recorded?

If someone does not give their permission to being recorded, you will not be able to use Magic Notes to record the meeting and will have to use other means of taking notes.
So far, we’ve found that service-user objections haven’t notably impacted the use of Magic Notes.
We also have a simple script that explains what Magic notes is - for Users to refer to if they are asked questions by their clients. This makes it easy to explain why they’re using it.
Keep it simple - it’s a note taking tool. The same information is recorded and inputted into the system whether Magic Notes is used or not.

What happens if your phone rings when recording a Magic Note?

An incoming phone call or message notification will not interrupt the recording, so simply ignore it or cut the call.
Check if your device has auto-paused the recording and click resume if so.
However, if you answer the call or you switch screens, the recording will stop due to lost microphone access.
To resume recording, return to the Magic Notes screen and click the pink microphone icon.

To prevent any issues:

When a call comes through, click the pause icon on the Magic Notes recording screen. Once the call ends, resume recording by pressing the pink microphone icon.

What if I don’t have Internet access?

That's okay as Magic Notes has 'Offline Mode'!
Click here to view how.
Important Note: You will have needed to visited Magic Notes prior online before you're able to use Offline Mode.

What if I lose internet connection midway through a recording?

If you're recording a meeting with known poor internet connectivity, we recommend using offline mode.
If the internet connection is lost partway through recording, the audio will still be recorded without any issues. Just continue as normal and click 'save' when done.
When your internet connection is back, all of the audio will upload to Magic Notes. This might mean that your phone shows that the Magic Note is 'saving' for a few minutes while the audio uploads. This is normal.
Once all the audio is uploaded, the summary will be generated as normal for you to review.

Does your phone being on silent affect the recording?

How does Magic Notes affect battery life?

Magic Notes uses roughly 5% battery life per 1 hour of recording time.
If making a number of recordings in a day, we’d recommend starting the day with a full battery and having a charger on hand.

Can Magic Notes understand accents and other languages?

Beam hasn't seen any issues with being able to understand what people are saying. If the social worker is able to understand the person speaking, Magic Notes has been able to as well.
We are currently testing this more, but so far, when a meeting is carried out in a different language, Magic Notes will transcribe it using the language that was spoken but translate it and create the summary in English.

What happens with the information in Magic Notes? Is it used to train AI models?

No - None of the data is retained, and none of the data is used for training the models. Magic Notes operates on a closed system.
The information is deleted after a stipulated period, decided by your organisation.

If a client asks about what happens to their data, what should I tell them?