Granola AI note-taking assistant is getting mixed reviews after a fresh test run.
The tool synced quickly with Google Calendar, launched a Microsoft Teams call, and prompted recording without a hitch. It saved prepared questions but failed to display them nicely during the call, forcing a switch back to Google Docs.
Post-interview, the app generated solid thematic summaries and action items. Searching for specific quotes worked, but speaker attribution was spotty. 
Big catch: Granola doesn’t record audio. For journalists needing exact quotes, that’s a dealbreaker. The tester had to run Apple Voice Memos for audio backup.
Granola’s team explained the no-audio policy is intentional.
Customer experience lead Vicky Firth said:
“We never store the audio recordings and that’s a deliberate decision for a few reasons. Firstly, we’re aware that whatever platform you’re on for your call already does this, and we don’t feel the need to duplicate this functionality — we’ve optimised Granola to be able to make great summaries of meetings, so that’s what we’re laser-focused on, and the transcripts are enough to allow it to do that well. We want to make sure Granola can stay simple and great at what it does best.”
“Another set of reasons is around data security: we want to make sure we’re only capturing what’s necessary to make those great notes, such that we’re not holding on to more sensitive information than is necessary. We hear feedback on both sides — some users would love us to store the recordings, but others email us wanting to make sure we don’t! The transcripts again feel like enough here.”
When pressed about adding an opt-in audio recording option, Firth replied:
“It’s probably not the best solution if you’re someone who needs very specific quotes on a regular basis, and another product is probably more suited if that’s what you’re after as your primary output. We do get requests for it, but at the moment (especially while we’re such a small team and have to be ruthless with prioritising!) we’re trying to focus on functionality that helps make great summarised notes, helps you share those notes with your team, and help you all get insights to do your work better on a higher level. It means we sadly have a long, long list of things that we have to park for now!”
Granola is sleek and promising but missing audio recording, which limits its appeal for users needing exact quote verification.
