Start doesn’t do anything

When Start doesn’t start listening, Interview Pilot is usually missing a permission, out of free sessions for the week, or signed out. Work through these checks in order.

1. Check for Enable Permissions

If the main button says Enable Permissions instead of Start or Start Recording, Interview Pilot can’t listen yet. Click or tap it and allow what your device asks for.

• Mac: Interview Pilot needs Microphone and, on macOS 14.4 or later, Screen & System Audio. Check both in the workspace under Settings › Permissions.
• Windows: Interview Pilot needs Microphone. Check it in the workspace under Settings › Permissions.
• iPhone and Android: Interview Pilot needs the microphone. With Default transcription on iPhone, it also needs Speech Recognition.

For step-by-step help, see Microphone isn’t working and Copilot can’t hear the interviewer on Mac.

2. Check your free sessions for the week

On the Free plan, you get 3 interview sessions a week. When they’re used up:

Device	What happens
Mac	Start doesn’t start a session, and no message appears
Windows	The answer panel shows Free interview session limit reached for this week.
iPhone and Android	The plans screen opens

To see what’s left on Mac or Windows, go to Account in the workspace and check Interview Sessions remaining (Weekly). On iPhone and Android, open the Profile tab and tap Usage. Sessions are counted on each device. See Weekly limits and when they reset.

3. Make sure you’re signed in on Mac or Windows

The desktop apps need you to be signed in before they can listen. If you see Welcome to Interview Pilot or Your session has expired. Please sign in again., click Sign In and finish in your browser. On Windows, Sign in to Interview Pilot before starting transcription. means the same.

The iPhone and Android apps work without signing in.

4. Check whether a session is already running

The main button changes as Interview Pilot works. If it doesn’t say Start or Start Recording, it may already be busy:

Button	What it means
Answer or Generate Answer	Interview Pilot is already listening. Click or tap it when you want an answer.
Starting... or Connecting...	Interview Pilot is starting to listen. Wait a few seconds.
Stopping...	Interview Pilot is finishing. Wait until Start or Start Recording appears.
Generating...	Copilot is writing an answer.
Generating in 3s	Auto-Generate is about to start an answer. Click or tap Resume to keep listening instead.

If the button goes from Starting... or Connecting... back to Start without listening, check your connection. On Mac, also make sure Screen & System Audio is allowed, as in check 1. See Interview Pilot keeps connecting or loses its connection.

5. Restart Interview Pilot

Still not starting?

Restart your device and try once more. If Start still does nothing, contact us with your device, the app version and what the main button shows.