Using Note Taker during in-person sessions

The SimplePractice for Clinicians app gives you the option to use Note Taker features on your mobile device or tablet. You can securely record audio for Note Taker transcription, edit the draft note it creates, and review the transcript. 

• Using Note Taker on iOS (Apple)
• Using Note Taker on Android
• FAQs

Using Note Taker on iOS (Apple)

During in-person sessions, you can use your Apple device and the SimplePractice for Clinicians app to access Note Taker features and transcribe audio. To do this:

1. Download the SimplePractice for Clinicians mobile app
   • For more information, see Getting started with the mobile app for iPhone/iPad
2. Open the app
3. Select the appointment
4. Tap Record with Note Taker
   • This button will appear for all upcoming appointments and will be available for the duration of the session

• To pause the recording, tap the pause icon
• To continue recording, tap Resume
• To cancel the recording, tap the X in the left corner

You can pause and resume recording as many times as you need to during an in-person session. 

Important: If you switch to another app that uses audio while Note Taker is recording on your iOS device, the recording will be stopped and can't be resumed or recovered when you return to your session. While phone call interruptions will automatically pause and resume the recording, switching to another app that uses your audio will result in the recording being lost and you'll need to manually complete the progress note for the session.

Once the session is complete and/or you want to end the recording, tap Finish.

Important: Only tap Finish when the recording is complete. Keep the appointment page open so the app has time to finish generating the transcript and draft note. Do not navigate away from the SimplePractice app or exit it until you receive confirmation that the recording has been saved.

You’ll see a confirmation that you've stopped recording audio and your draft note is generating.

Then, Note Taker finalizes the live transcript and generates a draft note.

Once the draft note is available, you’ll receive a push notification that it’s ready for review. This notification will only appear if you have mobile app push notifications toggled on.

The draft note will automatically appear in a Simple Progress Note for the client’s appointment.

To copy and paste the draft note on your iOS device:

1. Navigate to the appointment
2. Click the AI icon in the lower right corner

3. On the Note Taker slideout, tap Copy note to copy it

4. Tap and drag the gray bar at the top of the Note Taker slideout down to return back to the progress note
5. Paste the draft note into the progress note section
6. To make any edits to the note, tap the pencil icon in the upper right corner

Before saving the note, review its contents to make sure it aligns with your professional expertise and style. If you try to save the draft note without changes, you’ll be required to acknowledge that you’ve reviewed it. A modal will appear, and you can tap I reviewed it to save the note.

Once you’re ready to save the note, you can sign and lock it by tapping Sign.

Using Note Taker on Android

During in-person sessions, you can use your Android device and the SimplePractice for Clinicians app to access Note Taker features and transcribe audio. To do this:

1. Download the SimplePractice for Clinicians mobile app
   • If you already have the SimplePractice mobile app downloaded, make sure that it’s the latest version
   • For more information, see Getting started with the mobile app for Android 
2. Open the SimplePractice mobile app
3. Select the appointment
4. Tap Record with Note Taker
   • This button will appear for all upcoming appointments and will be available during the duration of the session

• To pause the recording, tap the Pause button
• To cancel Note Taker, tap the back arrow in the upper left corner
• To continue recording, tap Resume

You can pause and resume recording as many times as you need to during an in-person session. Once the session is complete and/or you want to end the recording, tap Finish.

Important: Make sure to tap Finish so Note Taker can finalize the transcript and generate a draft note. A confirmation message will appear when Note Taker is complete. If Finish isn’t tapped, the transcript could be lost and a draft note won’t be generated. A text box will appear that says Recording is saved to confirm.

The Note Taker tool will transcribe the audio of the recording in real time and summarize the session in a draft note.

Once the draft note is available, you’ll receive a push notification that it’s ready for review if you have mobile app push notifications toggled on. The draft note will automatically appear in the progress note section for the client’s appointment.

To copy and paste the draft note on your Android device:

1. Navigate to the appointment
2. Click the AI icon in the lower right corner

3. On the Note Taker slideout, tap Copy note to copy it

4. Tap and drag the gray bar at the top of the Note Taker slideout down to return back to the progress note
5. Paste the draft note into the progress note section
6. To make any edits to the note, tap the pencil icon in the upper right corner

Before saving the note to the client’s appointment, review its contents to make sure it aligns with your professional expertise and style. If you try to save the draft note without changes, you’ll be required to acknowledge that you’ve reviewed it. A modal will appear, and you can tap I reviewed it to save the note.

Once you’re ready to save the note, you can sign and lock it by tapping Sign.

To view the full appointment transcript, scroll down while viewing the draft note or view the appointment from the web browser version.

Important: After the draft note is created, the transcript is available for your use only (and won’t be used for any other purpose) for either 7 days or after the note has been locked and signed, whichever comes sooner. For more information, see Will the recording and transcription of the appointment be deleted?

FAQs

• Can I access other pages of the app when I'm recording a session on Android?
• I used Note Taker during an in-person appointment. Why didn’t I receive a draft note?
• What are some best practices for using in-person Note Taker on the SimplePractice for Clinicians app?
• What happens if a text or call is received during an appointment while using Note Taker?
• Can I turn off Note Taker notifications?
• Can I instruct Note Taker to refine draft notes on a mobile device?

Can I access other pages of the app when I'm recording a session on Android?

You can minimize the recording screen during an in-person session on Android devices to view other pages within the SimplePractice mobile app.

Note: The recording screen on iOS devices will automatically minimize.

To minimize the recording screen during an in-person session:

• Click the minimize icon in the upper right corner

The recording screen will minimize and you’ll be brought back to the client’s current appointment page. Click VIEW to return to the recording screen.

This minimized recording screen bar will only appear on the following pages of the SimplePractice mobile app: 

• Current appointment page
• Calendar views
• Client list
• Secure Messages
• Tasks

I used Note Taker during an in-person appointment. Why didn’t I receive a draft note?

If you used Note Taker during an in-person appointment and didn’t receive a draft note shortly after the session ended, one common reason is that Finish wasn’t tapped on the mobile device to trigger the recording to complete.

To prevent this next time, be sure to tap Finish. Exiting the session or switching apps on your device before tapping Finish will result in the recording being lost and not uploading to the appointment to create a draft note. Tapping Finish triggers the device to begin uploading the recording to begin creating a transcript needed to create the draft note.

If you experience a delay in the draft note being created after using Note Taker during an in-person appointment, we may be able to investigate. Please keep in mind that it’s not guaranteed that we’ll be able to retrieve the content. Please submit a help request to our Customer Success team for further assistance. 

What are some best practices for using in-person Note Taker on the SimplePractice for Clinicians app?

Some best practices for using in-person Note Taker in the SimplePractice for Clinicians app on both iOS and Android devices include:

• Use a Wi-Fi network whenever possible while recording with Note Taker
• Turn off battery saver mode on your device
• If your device’s battery is low while using Note Taker, make sure to keep it plugged in and charging

What happens if a text or call is received during an appointment while using Note Taker?

If an incoming text message or phone call occurs during an appointment while recording with the Note Taker tool, you’ll experience the following:

• For a text or any other notification on any device, it won’t interrupt the recording, however, it’s not recommended to switch apps to view the text or notification to make sure the recording stays intact. 
• For a phone call received on any device:
  • If you choose to answer the call, the recording will automatically pause and will resume once the call is concluded. The Note Taker tool won’t record the call.
  • If you choose to decline the call or let it ring, the recording will continue.

Important: On iOS only, recording can successfully pause and resume after a phone call, but switching to another app that uses audio while Note Taker is recording will result in the recording being lost. You'll need to manually complete the progress note for the session.

We recommend putting your device in Do Not Disturb mode to avoid any interruptions while recording a session. For more information see, How to turn Do Not Disturb on or off on your iPhone or Limit interruptions with Modes & Do Not Disturb on Android.

Can I turn off Note Taker notifications?

There isn’t a way to turn off Note Taker notifications for the SimplePractice web app.

While there isn’t a way to turn off only Note Taker notifications in the mobile app, you have the option to turn off your notifications for the app altogether. To learn more, see Enabling and disabling push notifications on the SimplePractice for Clinicians app on iOS or Enabling and disabling push notifications on the SimplePractice for Clinicians app on Android.

Can I instruct Note Taker to refine draft notes on a mobile device?

Currently, you can only use instructions to refine notes on a web browser. However, draft notes generated from in-person sessions on your mobile can be viewed on a web browser, where you can refine the note as needed. For more information, see Refining a draft note using instructions.