Granola, an AI-powered meeting recording app, has launched an Apple Watch version, attempting to extend meeting recording and transcription from smartphones to wearable devices. Users can set Granola as a watch face widget to initiate transcription directly on their watch, view upcoming meeting reminders, and integrate with existing iOS apps.
Targeting offline meeting scenarios
Granola co-founder Chris Pedregal told TechCrunch that the app is primarily designed for offline, face-to-face communication scenarios, especially one-on-one meetings that take place on the go. Recording content directly through a watch is more convenient and better suited to immediate usage needs compared to taking out a phone.
The company stated that in internal testing, a significant portion of the mobile usage time of employees wearing Apple Watch shifted from iPhone to the watch. This indicates that Granola hopes to make the watch a more frequent entry point for meeting notes, rather than just a supplement to the mobile app.
Develop software first, rather than external hardware.
Over the past year, several auxiliary devices designed for use with smartphones have emerged for recording and transcribing meeting content. Granola stated that, at this stage, developing an Apple Watch app is easier to implement than integrating new external hardware.
This trend is not an isolated case. The voice recording app Monologue added meeting note-taking functionality earlier this year, covering both online and offline scenarios, and also supporting Apple Watch. Related products are shifting from simple transcription to recording tools that are more closely aligned with meeting flow.
The company's valuation has reached unicorn level.
Granola completed a $125 million Series C funding round earlier this year, led by Index Ventures. This round brought the company's valuation to unicorn level.
This update suggests that Granola is expanding its terminal access points around the concept of "recording meetings anytime, anywhere." Whether the Apple Watch version can lead to more frequent usage will depend on users' acceptance of offline meeting recording methods.
