Your Plaud recorder can send recordings straight to Vela. You record a site visit or a chat with a customer. Vela then writes it up, matches it to the customer, and suggests what to do next: a quote, a follow-up email or a reminder. Setup takes about 10 minutes.
What you need
- An Android phone with the Vela app. Download the latest version from getvela.au/download. The Plaud connection doesn't work on iPhone or in the web browser yet.
- A Plaud recorder, charged and switched on.
- Bluetooth turned on on your phone.
- Your Vela login.
Before you start: unpair from the Plaud app
A Plaud recorder can only be connected to one app at a time. If you've used it with the Plaud app, open the Plaud app, go to your device settings, choose Unpair or Remove device, then close the Plaud app.
Step 1: Turn on Voice in Vela
Vela only shows the features you've chosen.
- Open the Vela app and sign in.
- Tap More → Choose features.
- Make sure Voice (recordings and transcripts) is switched on, then save.
Step 2: Pair the recorder
- On the Today screen, scroll to the bottom and tap Pair a recording device.
- Turn the recorder on and put it right next to your phone.
- Tap Scan for recorders. The scan takes about 15 seconds.
- If Android asks for permission to find Nearby devices, tap Allow. Vela can't see the recorder without it.
- Your recorder shows up with its serial number (SN). Tap Pair, read the message and confirm.
Once it's paired, the screen shows the recorder's name, when it last synced, and a Sync now button.
Step 3: Choose your settings
There are two switches on the recorder screen.
- Upload on mobile data — off by default, so recordings wait on your phone until you're on Wi-Fi. Turn it on to upload straight away over mobile data (longer recordings can use a fair bit of data).
- Keep recordings on the recorder — off by default, so each recording is removed from the recorder once Vela has safely received it, keeping the recorder's storage free. Turn it on to keep a copy on the recorder too.
Step 4: Record a job
- Start with the announcement. Once the recorder is on, say something like: "Just letting you know I'm recording this so I get the details right. Is that okay with you?" Wait for the customer to say yes.
- Talk through the job as normal: rooms, measurements, materials, what the customer wants.
- Stop the recording when you're done.
Australian law generally requires everyone in a private conversation to agree to it being recorded. Vela checks the start of each recording for your announcement and the customer's "yes":
- Consent confirmed — the announcement and the customer's reply were both heard.
- Consent unclear or missing — Vela keeps the recording, but won't send anything from it to a third party (like Fergus or Xero) until you confirm in the app that the customer agreed.
- Notes to yourself — if only your voice is on the recording, no consent is needed.
Step 5: Get your recordings into Vela
You don't need to do anything special.
- Open the Vela app with the recorder nearby. Vela syncs automatically each time you open the app, and again whenever you come back to it (at most every 5 minutes).
- Or tap Sync now on the recorder screen. Keep the app open while a long recording transfers.
After a few minutes the transcript appears under Voice, with a summary of the conversation, the customer it matched (or a prompt to choose one), and suggested next steps such as a quote, a follow-up email or a reminder. You'll get a notification when a recording is ready, as long as notifications are turned on for Vela.
Switching back to the Plaud app
- In Vela, open the recorder screen (Today → your recorder).
- Tap Unpair recorder and confirm.
- Open the Plaud app and pair the recorder there.
Anything already uploaded stays in Vela.
Troubleshooting
- The recorder doesn't show up in the scan — check it's on, charged and right next to the phone, and not still paired with the Plaud app. Check Bluetooth is on and Vela has the Nearby devices permission (Android Settings → Apps → Vela → Permissions), then tap Scan again.
- "Not supported on this build" — update Vela from getvela.au/download.
- Recordings say "waiting to upload" — connect to Wi-Fi, or turn on Upload on mobile data.
- A recording is under "Needs attention" — Vela retries it on every sync. If it keeps failing, keep the recorder nearby, open the app on Wi-Fi and tap Sync now.
- A long recording stops partway — keep the Vela app open and the phone close to the recorder until the sync finishes.
- No transcript after 15 minutes — pull down to refresh the Voice screen. If it's still missing, contact us.
- I can't send a quote from a recording — check the consent badge. If it says unclear or missing and the customer did agree, confirm it on the recording screen.
Need a hand?
Email admin@getvela.au with your recorder's serial number (shown on the recorder screen) and a screenshot, and we'll sort it out.