---
title: How to start a call and take notes
url: https://tideswell.xyz/docs/chat/calls
description: Call a channel or a colleague from Chat, ring people in, share your screen, and have private notes written for the people on the call.
---

> Documentation index: fetch https://tideswell.xyz/llms.txt to discover every page before exploring further.

# How to start a call and take notes



A **call** is a voice and video conversation inside <Ref to="chat" />. Start one from any channel
or direct message, and it stays connected while you move around Tideswell. Every call is listed
under **Meetings** at the top of the chat list.

At Fairgreen Golf Co., Priya Raman starts a call in #production to go through the Portside Mills
lab dips. She presses **Take notes**, and afterwards the notes, the decisions and two action items
are waiting for the four people who were on it.

## How do you start a call? [#how-do-you-start-a-call]

Open the channel or direct message and press **Call** in its header. You join straight away.

In a direct message, starting a call rings the other person. In a channel, everyone who can see
the channel sees a call card in the timeline with **Join**, and the header's button turns into
**Join** too.

The first time, your browser asks to use your microphone and camera. Allow both, or the call
says the microphone or camera is blocked.

## How do you ring someone into a channel call? [#how-do-you-ring-someone-into-a-channel-call]

Press **Ring** at the foot of the call, type a name in **Ring someone into this call**, and press
**Ring** beside the person. Their screen shows **Incoming call**, "Ringing you into #production",
with **Join** and **Decline**.

The list holds the channel's members who are not on the call yet. When they all are, it reads
"Everyone in this channel is already here."

## What can you do during a call? [#what-can-you-do-during-a-call]

The controls along the foot of the call:

* **Mute** and **Unmute**.
* **Turn camera on** and **Turn camera off**.
* **Share screen** and **Stop sharing**, in a browser that can share its screen.
* **Ring**, on a channel call.
* **Take notes** and **Stop notes**.
* **Leave call**.

**Layout** switches between **Automatic**, **Tiles** and **Speaker**. Pin someone's
tile to keep them large on your screen, and press **Unpin** to let the layout choose again.

## Can you keep working during a call? [#can-you-keep-working-during-a-call]

Yes. Press **Back to chat** at the top left of the call, or **Minimise call**, and the call shrinks
to a bar while you use the rest of Tideswell. You stay connected as you move between pages.

**Expand call** brings it back to full size, and **Compact view** makes it smaller again. You
leave the call when you press **Leave call**.

Reloading the page would end the call, so during a call your browser asks before it reloads or
closes the tab. Choose to stay, and the call carries on.

## How do call notes work? [#how-do-call-notes-work]

Press **Take notes** during the call. A line across the top of the call, with a red dot, reads
"Notes are on. Everyone's voice is being transcribed."

Press **Stop notes** to stop.

When the call ends, its card in the channel reads &#x2A;*Writing notes…** and then shows a short
overview, the number of action items and **View notes**. A muted microphone is not transcribed.

## What is in the notes? [#what-is-in-the-notes]

**View notes** opens a page headed **Call in** and the channel's name, with the date, how long it
ran and who was on it. Below that:

* **Overview**, a few lines on what the call covered.
* **Key points** and **Decisions**.
* **Action items**, each with its owner and due date where one was said, and **Make task** to turn
  it into a task. See <Ref to="tasks/create-a-task" />.
* **Transcript**, the full record of who said what.

**Open as document** opens the notes as a document the people on the call can edit.

## Who can read the notes? [#who-can-read-the-notes]

Only the people who were on the call. Everyone else who can see the channel sees the call card
with "Notes are private to the people on the call", and the notes page reads "Private to the 4
people on this call".

The Agent can read the notes of a call you were on, to answer your questions about it. A
conversation that has read call notes suggests no changes, so nothing said reaches anyone who was
not on the call.

To keep your calls out of every Agent's reach, turn on **Ghost mode** under **User menu › Account
settings › What buzzes you**. Its hint reads "The agent never reads notes from calls you're on.
This covers everyone's agent, not just yours." It covers calls that have already ended too.

## How do you find an old call? [#how-do-you-find-an-old-call]

Open **Meetings** at the top of the chat list. It lists every call you can see, newest first, with
**In progress** and **Join** on one that is still running.

**All** shows every call you can see, and **Calls I was on** only yours. **Older** loads the next
page of calls.

## Where can you make calls? [#where-can-you-make-calls]

In Tideswell on the web, on a computer or in a phone browser. The Tideswell iPhone app keeps to
messages and tasks, per <Ref to="phone" />.