What is the audio alert?
PatientNotes monitors your microphone input during the first 10 seconds of every recording. If no audio is detected, you will see an on-screen message and hear an audio alert — giving you time to fix the issue before the session is lost.
This is one of the most important features to keep enabled. A session recorded with no microphone input cannot be recovered — catching the problem early means you can fix it and re-record without losing the consultation.
What you will see
If no microphone input is detected in the first 10 seconds of recording, a modal will appear:
No audio detected
PatientNotes has not detected microphone input. Check your microphone connection or input settings before continuing the session.
You will also hear a gentle audio tone to get your attention even if you are not looking at the screen.
You have two options:
Dismiss — closes the alert for this session only. The alert will reappear on your next recording if no audio is detected again.
Stop notifying me — turns off the audio alert in your profile settings. You can turn it back on at any time.
What to do when you see it
Tap Dismiss to close the alert.
Check that your microphone is connected and selected correctly — go to your browser or device audio settings and confirm the right input is active.
Stop and restart the recording once your microphone is working.
Common reasons the alert fires:
The wrong microphone is selected (e.g. a virtual input instead of your physical mic)
A Bluetooth headset that hasn't fully connected yet
Microphone permission not granted to the browser or app
The device microphone is muted at the system level
Managing your alert settings
The audio alert is turned on by default and we strongly recommend keeping it on.
To check or change your setting:
Go to Settings → Profile
Scroll to the Audio Alert section
Toggle "Play audio alert during the first 10 seconds of recording if no microphone input is detected" on or off
If you previously selected Stop notifying me, your alert will be turned off here. You can re-enable it at any time by turning the toggle back on.
Why we recommend keeping it on
The audio alert exists to protect your sessions. If your microphone silently stops working mid-session, you may not realise until the note fails to generate — at which point the audio cannot be recovered. The alert gives you a chance to catch and fix mic issues within the first 10 seconds while there is still time to restart.
If the alert is firing frequently, it is worth investigating your microphone setup rather than turning the alert off — the alert is telling you something important.
Still having issues?
If your microphone is connected and working but the alert still fires, please chat with us via the help widget inside PatientNotes or email [email protected] and we will help you diagnose the issue.