How to get an API key

Voice Notes has no servers and no subscription. You bring your own key from one AI provider, and the app talks to that provider directly from your phone. Pick one below. You only need one.

Which one should I choose?

Provider	Cost	Good for
Google Gemini	Free tier available (as of October 2026)	Trying the app at no cost. Transcribes and translates in one step.
Sarvam	Free credits when you sign up, then pay as you go	Indian languages, with automatic language detection.
OpenAI	Paid, from prepaid credit	General use. Whisper handles many languages.

Prices, free tiers and limits are set by the providers and change. Check each provider's own page before relying on them.

Google Gemini Free tier

As of October 2026, Google offers a free tier for the Gemini API. It has usage limits, which Google can change, so check Google AI Studio for the current ones.

Open Google AI Studio, API keys and sign in with a Google account.
Choose Create API key. Pick a project, or let it create one for you.
Copy the key.
In Voice Notes, open Settings, choose Google Gemini, paste the key into API key, and tap Save.

Privacy on the free tier. Google's terms say that on the unpaid Gemini API tier, your content may be used to improve its products. Your voice notes are sent to Gemini, so avoid recording anything sensitive while you use the free tier, or use a paid key. Read Google's Gemini API terms for the current wording.

Sarvam

Built for Indian languages. New accounts get free credits, which do not expire. After that, speech-to-text is billed by the hour of audio.

Open the Sarvam dashboard and sign up or sign in.
Go to the API keys section and create a new key.
Copy the key.
In Voice Notes, open Settings, choose Sarvam, paste the key, and tap Save.

See Sarvam's pricing page for the current free credits and rates.

OpenAI

OpenAI's API is paid and separate from a ChatGPT subscription. You add prepaid credit, and each request uses some of it.

Open the OpenAI API keys page and sign in.
Add a payment method and some credit under Billing if you have not already.
Choose Create new secret key, give it a name such as "Voice Notes", and copy it. OpenAI shows the key only once.
In Voice Notes, open Settings, choose OpenAI, paste the key, and tap Save.

Consider setting a monthly spending limit in your OpenAI billing settings.

Keeping your key safe

Voice Notes stores your key in your phone's secure storage, and sends it only to the provider it belongs to.
Never share a key or post it anywhere public. Anyone with it can spend your credit.
If a key leaks, delete it in the provider's dashboard and create a new one. Then paste the new one into Settings.
Audio and transcripts go to the provider you chose. Each provider has its own privacy policy.