Choosing where to record
This article applies to everyone, on every practice system. Where you record matters more than which microphone you own, so start here.
If you're on | Record in |
A desktop or laptop | Google Chrome, kept up to date. This is the most reliable option and the one we recommend by default. |
An iPhone or iPad | The HappyDoc app from the App Store. Not the browser. |
An Android phone or tablet | The HappyDoc app, though we recommend an iPhone or a computer where you have the choice. |
⚠️ Please don't record in a browser on an iPad or iPhone. This includes Safari and it also includes Chrome on those devices, because every browser on an iPhone or iPad uses the same underlying engine. In that setup the device can quietly discard the recording while still showing it as saved, and once that has happened the audio can't be recovered, by you or by us. Install the app and record there instead. If you're already partway through a day of browser recordings on an iPad, contact us before you close those visits.
Microphones
The built in microphone on a modern phone, tablet or laptop is genuinely good enough. Most practices never need to buy anything. If you're recording in a large or echoey room, or the vet moves around a lot, an external microphone can help.
A USB desk microphone, such as the Blue Snowball iCE that many of our customers use, works well for a fixed computer in an exam room.
A clip on lapel microphone works well if the vet moves around during the exam.
Bluetooth microphones work, but keep them charged and stay within range, because a Bluetooth dropout mid visit is one of the more common causes of missing audio.
Testing before your first real visit
Open HappyDoc in the browser or app you plan to use.
Start a recording on a test patient and talk normally for about thirty seconds, standing roughly where you'll actually stand during an exam.
Stop the recording and play it back.
Listen for two things: can you make out every word, and is there background noise loud enough to compete with your voice.
If you can hear yourself clearly, you're set. If not, move the microphone closer before changing anything else, since distance matters more than equipment.
If the microphone won't work
Allow the permission prompt. Browsers and phones ask once and remember your answer. If you dismissed it, you'll need to grant it manually.
In Chrome, select the icon at the left of the address bar, find Microphone, and set it to Allow. Reload the page afterwards.
On an iPhone or iPad, open Settings, find HappyDoc in the list of apps, and turn Microphone on.
Close anything else using the microphone. Video calls and other recording apps take exclusive control, and HappyDoc can't record while they hold it.
Check the microphone isn't muted in your system settings, or physically muted on the device itself if it has a switch.
Troubleshooting / FAQs
Q: Can I use Safari on my Mac?
A: We recommend Chrome. Safari has repeatedly caused recording and upload problems, and the failures are the quiet kind where nothing looks wrong until the document never arrives.
Q: My recording sounds fine but the note missed things.
A: That's usually a document or template question rather than a microphone one. Play the recording back first. If the words are clearly audible, the audio is doing its job and the fix is elsewhere, so send us the patient name and the visit time and we'll look.
Q: Do I need a separate microphone for each exam room?
A: Only if each room has its own computer. If the vet carries a phone or tablet between rooms, that device's microphone travels with them.
💬 Need a hand? Chat with us in the app (bottom right corner) or email [email protected]. We're always happy to help.
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