Help & Support
Everything you need to get the most out of Tephra.
Getting Started
Tephra turns your voice into structured, searchable Markdown notes. Here's how to get up and running.
On first launch, Tephra downloads a small speech recognition model to your device. This only happens once and enables fully offline transcription.
Tephra needs microphone access to record. Location access is optional — if granted, your city and country are tagged to each note.
In Settings, pick where notes are saved — a folder you choose (such as your Obsidian vault) or on your iPhone. Either way they're plain Markdown files you own.
Tap the record button, speak your thought, tap again to stop. Tephra handles the rest.
Recording Notes
Creating a new note
Tap the record button to start capturing audio. Speak naturally — Tephra works best with conversational speech. Tap the button again to stop recording. Your note will be transcribed, formatted, and saved automatically.
Appending to an existing note
Long-press any note in your list, then select Append from the context menu. Record your addition — it will be formatted and appended to the end of the selected note.
Deleting a note
Long-press any note and select Delete. You'll be asked to confirm before the note is permanently removed.
Tip: Tephra works great for meeting notes, journal entries, ideas on the go, or anything you'd rather speak than type.
On-Device Transcription & Speech Model
Your voice is transcribed entirely on your iPhone — the audio never leaves your device. Tephra uses an on-device Whisper model, and you choose how it balances speed against accuracy.
Choosing a model
The first time you record (and anytime in Settings → Whisper Model), you pick one of three tiers. Each shows its download size up front, so a cellular download is never a surprise:
- Fast (~150 MB) — quick and light on storage and battery. Great for clear speech and short notes.
- Balanced (~500 MB) — noticeably better on names, accents and longer recordings. A good default.
- Accurate (~1.5 GB) — best accuracy, even in noise, at the cost of a larger download and a little speed.
The model downloads once and is reused. You can switch tiers anytime — the new model loads on your next recording.
Managing storage
In Settings → Manage Storage you can see every downloaded model with its size and delete any you're not using (except the one in use) to reclaim space. After you switch tiers, Tephra also offers to remove the previous model for you.
Tip: Model sizes are approximate. If accuracy on names or accents matters more than speed, try Balanced or Accurate.
AI Formatting
When connected to the internet and with AI enabled (via Pro subscription or your own API key), Tephra sends your transcription to an AI model that:
- Generates a descriptive title
- Cleans up punctuation and grammar
- Structures the text with headings and paragraphs
- Adds topic tags for easy filtering
- Links related concepts with [[WikiLinks]] for entity linking
- Outputs clean Markdown ready for any editor
If AI formatting is temporarily unavailable (e.g., no internet connection), Tephra keeps your recording and lets you retry once you're back online — nothing is lost.
Supported languages
Tephra supports transcription in multiple languages. You can change the transcription language in Settings. The AI formatting works with any language supported by the underlying model.
Ask Tephra
Ask Tephra answers questions from your own notes. Ask out loud — "What did I decide with Marco?" — or type, and Tephra composes an answer from what you've actually recorded, then lists the notes it drew from.
Asking a question
Tap Ask in the dock at the bottom of the Vault, then speak (or type) your question. Tephra searches your notes on-device, finds the most relevant passages, and only that retrieved context is sent to the AI to write the answer.
Answers & sources
- Each answer is saved as its own Q&A note, so you can find it again later.
- Every answer cites the source notes it used — tap a source to open that note.
- Entities in the answer are linked with [[WikiLinks]], just like in your notes.
Q&A notes are kept out of the search index and entity graph, so asking questions never pollutes your knowledge base with its own answers.
Note: The search runs on-device without a connection; writing the answer uses AI (your Pro subscription or your own API key), the same as note formatting.
Smart Tagging
Tephra uses AI to automatically tag your notes with relevant topics. You control what gets tagged and how aggressively through two settings: Topics and Tag Presets.
Topics — choose what matters to you
During onboarding (or anytime in Settings → Topics), you pick from 8 broad topic categories. You can also add your own custom topics — see Custom Topics below.
- Work — meetings, projects, deadlines, strategy
- Creative — ideas, writing, design, music, art
- Finance — budgets, investments, expenses
- Health — fitness, diet, medical, mental health
- Learning — courses, books, research, skills
- Home — errands, household, family, planning
- Tech — coding, tools, devices, infrastructure
- Social — events, relationships, networking, travel
Your selections build a personalised tag taxonomy — the AI draws from these categories when tagging your notes, so you get tags that are relevant to your life instead of generic keywords.
Tag presets — control the intensity
In Settings → Tagging → Tag Preset, choose how aggressively Tephra tags:
- Conservative — Fewer tags, only high-confidence matches. Best if you prefer a clean, minimal set of tags.
- Balanced — The default. A mix of specific and broader tags, typically 3–5 per note.
- Exploratory — More tags, broader associations. Great for discovery and surfacing unexpected connections between notes.
Entity normalization
When your notes mention people, companies, or projects, Tephra automatically checks the spelling against your existing note corpus. If you say "Achmad" but your previous notes use "Ahmad," Tephra corrects the new note to match — keeping your [[WikiLinks]] and entity references consistent without any manual effort.
Tag merging on append
When you append new content to an existing note, Tephra merges the newly suggested tags with the tags the note already has. It never overwrites — you won't lose tags from the original note.
Tip: Start with the Balanced preset and 3–4 topic categories that match your daily life. You can always adjust later in Settings as your needs evolve.
Tasks
Any checkbox in any note becomes a task. Say "remind me to email Sarah" (or write a - [ ] checklist) and Tephra collects every open and completed checkbox from across all your notes into one place — so nothing slips through.
Opening Tasks
Tap the checklist icon in the Vault header (it shows a badge with your open-task count). Tasks are grouped by attention:
- Needs attention — open tasks that have been waiting more than a week.
- Open — everything else still to do.
- Completed — checked-off tasks (collapsible).
Working with tasks
- Check it off — tapping the box writes - [x] straight back into the source note.
- Find the source — each task shows the note it came from and how long ago it was captured; tap it to open that note.
- Search, sort & filter — search task text, sort (Manual / Newest / Oldest / A–Z), and filter by All / Open / Completed or by your tags.
Resurfacing
Tephra nudges gently, never nags. The Vault shows a soft banner when tasks have been open over a week, and notes that contain open tasks get a small ✓ N count in the list — so the small promises don't get lost.
Knowledge Graph
The Knowledge Graph is a visual, interactive graph that shows how your notes and entities are connected. It surfaces relationships between people, projects, topics, and ideas across your entire note collection.
Accessing the graph
Tap the graph icon in the main screen header to open the Knowledge Graph. The graph renders all your notes and their linked entities as an interactive node-and-edge visualization.
Navigating the graph
- Pinch to zoom — Spread two fingers apart to zoom in, pinch together to zoom out.
- Pan — Drag with one finger to move around the graph.
- Tap to select — Tap any node to select it and see its connections highlighted.
How nodes are sized
Nodes in the graph scale by their connection count — entities or notes with more connections appear as larger nodes, making it easy to spot the most central concepts in your knowledge base at a glance.
Tip: Use the Knowledge Graph to discover unexpected connections between notes. Entities that appear large and central are great starting points for exploring related ideas.
Entity Correction Dictionary
Sometimes the AI misspells entity names — people, places, or projects. The Entity Correction Dictionary lets you fix these mistakes and keep your notes consistent.
Correcting an entity
Navigate to the note detail view containing the misspelled entity.
Long-press on the entity name (a [[WikiLink]]) to bring up the correction options.
Type the corrected name in the prompt.
Apply the correction to the current note only, or apply it across all notes that reference the same entity.
Tip: Applying corrections across all notes keeps your [[WikiLinks]] and Knowledge Graph consistent. Tephra will also remember the correction for future notes.
Custom Topics
Beyond the 8 preset topic categories, you can create your own custom topics to match the way you think and work.
Adding custom topics
Go to Settings → Topics or add them during onboarding. Tap the add button to create a new topic with a custom name. Custom topics work exactly like the built-in categories — the AI uses them when tagging your notes.
When to use custom topics
Custom topics are great for niche areas that don't fit neatly into the preset categories. For example, you might add topics like "Photography," "Garden," "Side Project," or "Recipes" to get more specific, relevant tags on your notes.
Tip: Keep custom topics focused and distinct from the preset categories. The AI works best with clear, non-overlapping topic boundaries.
Filter Reset on Recording
When you start a new recording, Tephra automatically resets any active filters on the notes list. This ensures your newly created note is always visible in the list after recording finishes — you won't miss it because of an old filter.
This happens silently in the background. After the recording completes and the note is saved, the note list shows all notes (unfiltered), with your new note at the top.
Storage
A folder you choose
In Settings you pick where Tephra saves your notes — a folder you choose (such as your Obsidian vault) or on your iPhone. Either way, every note is a standard .md file you can open with any Markdown editor — Obsidian, iA Writer, Bear, or any text editor.
On-device storage
If you don't pick a folder, notes are saved to the app's on-device Documents folder ("On My iPhone"). Nothing is uploaded to a Tephra server — your notes live only where you save them.
Changing storage location
You can change the save location at any time in Settings. Existing notes remain in their original location — only new notes use the updated setting.
Subscriptions & Pricing
Tephra Pro
Tephra requires an active subscription, a one-time Lifetime purchase, or a BYOK API key configuration to use AI formatting. With a Pro subscription, notes are transcribed on-device, then the text is sent to our secure server for intelligent formatting, title generation, smart auto-tagging, and entity linking with [[WikiLinks]]. Available as a monthly or annual subscription (both with a 7-day free trial for new subscribers) or a one-time Lifetime purchase that never expires.
Managing your subscription
Subscriptions are managed through Apple. To cancel or change your plan, go to iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → Tephra. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period.
Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)
Advanced users can connect their own API key from a supported AI provider instead of subscribing to Pro. This gives you full control over your AI costs and provider choice.
Supported providers
- OpenAI — GPT-4o Mini
- Google Gemini — Gemini 2.0 Flash
- Anthropic — Claude 3.5 Haiku
- Groq — Llama 3.3 70B
Setup
Tap the gear icon on the main screen.
Toggle on "Use my own API key" in the Advanced section.
Tap the Provider row and select from the list.
Paste your key into the API Key field. It's stored securely in the iOS Keychain and never leaves your device.
Tip: Groq offers a generous free tier and is the fastest provider. Great for trying out AI formatting without any cost.
Privacy & Security
Face ID / Touch ID app lock
You can lock Tephra with Face ID or Touch ID for an extra layer of privacy. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Lock with Face ID and toggle it on. Once enabled, the app locks whenever it moves to the background. You'll need to authenticate with Face ID (or Touch ID on supported devices) to reopen it. If biometric authentication fails, iOS automatically falls back to your device passcode.
Data protection
All notes stored on your device are encrypted at rest by iOS Data Protection. Tephra never accesses or stores your biometric data — authentication is handled entirely by Apple's LocalAuthentication framework.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Audio is transcribed entirely on your device using a local AI model. The audio file is deleted as soon as your note is saved, and only ever exists on your device. Only the text transcript is sent to an AI provider for formatting — and only if you have AI enabled.
Yes. Transcription works fully offline after the initial model download. Without an internet connection, notes are saved with basic formatting instead of AI-enhanced formatting.
Absolutely. Tephra saves standard Markdown files with YAML frontmatter. Point Tephra at your Obsidian vault folder in Settings and your notes appear there directly. Tags, titles, dates, and locations all appear as frontmatter metadata.
Pro uses our server to handle AI formatting — you pay a flat subscription and we cover the AI costs. BYOK lets you use your own API key from OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic, or Groq — you pay the provider directly based on your usage (typically a few cents per note).
Yes. Your API key is stored in the iOS Keychain — Apple's hardware-backed encrypted credential storage. It never leaves your device and is never transmitted to our servers.
Go to iOS Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → Tephra and tap Cancel. Your Pro features remain active until the end of the current billing period.
Refunds are handled by Apple. Visit reportaproblem.apple.com and select the Tephra purchase you'd like refunded.
Tephra supports transcription in over 15 languages including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and more. You can change the language in Settings.
Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Lock with Face ID and toggle it on. Once enabled, Tephra locks every time you leave the app. When you come back, you'll need to authenticate with Face ID or Touch ID to continue. If biometric authentication fails, iOS falls back to your device passcode automatically.
Tephra lets you pick from 8 topic categories — Work, Creative, Finance, Health, Learning, Home, Tech, and Social — during onboarding or at any time in Settings → Topics. You can also add your own custom topics beyond the preset categories. Choose a tag preset that controls how aggressively Tephra tags your notes: Conservative (fewer, high-confidence tags), Balanced (default), or Exploratory (more tags, broader associations). When you append to an existing note, new tags are merged with the existing ones rather than overwriting them. Tephra also normalizes entity names automatically — if you misspell a person's name or project, you can long-press the entity name to correct it across one or all notes.
Recording requires an active Tephra Pro subscription, a one-time Lifetime purchase, or a BYOK API key. If you try to record without one, you'll see an alert directing you to Settings to subscribe or configure your own API key. You can still browse, read, and manage your existing notes without one. A 7-day free trial is available for new subscribers.
Still need help?
If you couldn't find an answer here, we're happy to help.
Email us at
hello@tephra.app