How to Use an AI Meeting Assistant in 2026: A 5-Step Guide from Recording to Meeting Minutes

By 2026, AI meeting assistants are no longer a novelty. But most people still think of them as just "turning recordings into text."

I often see this: someone downloads an AI meeting assistant, records a meeting, gets a transcript, and then... nothing.

Why? Because they haven't turned "recording" into "a system."

In this article, I'll use Tinrec (MiaoTing) as an example to walk you through the complete workflow of an AI meeting assistant. This isn't about which button to press—it's about building a method where "after the meeting, your data automatically becomes a usable asset."

If you've never used an AI meeting assistant, or if you've used one but only for transcripts, this article is for you.

Before You Start: What You'll Need

Before we begin, make sure you have the following:

A smartphone (iPhone or Android—Tinrec supports both)
The Tinrec app downloaded (free from the App Store or Google Play; sign up with just your Google or Apple ID)
A recording you want to transcribe (meeting, lecture, or interview)
A stable internet connection (real-time transcription requires internet; for offline use, download the language pack in advance)

If you're recording online meetings (like Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams), the Tinrec desktop app can capture your computer's system audio directly—no need to invite any bots to your meeting. This is key: you don't have to change your meeting habits, just open Tinrec.

Step 1: Record What You Want to Transcribe

The goal here is to get a clear audio file—it's the foundation for everything that follows.

Open Tinrec and tap the record button on the main screen. Keep your phone close to the speaker—the closer it is, the clearer the audio, and the higher the transcription accuracy. For one-on-one interviews, place the phone between you; for group meetings, put it in the center of the table.

Why emphasize recording quality? Because AI transcription accuracy depends on audio quality—even the best engine can't fix a blurry recording. Spending 30 extra seconds to position your phone is better than spending time proofreading later.

When you're done, you'll see the recording on Tinrec's main screen, with its duration and file size displayed.

(Illustration: A person recording a meeting in a conference room, phone on the table, surrounded by attendees, professional and natural atmosphere)

Step 2: Let AI Transcribe It

Once the recording is done, the next step is to let AI turn audio into text.

In Tinrec, you can transcribe the recording you just made, or import existing audio or video files. Tinrec supports multiple languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and more, and can handle mixed Chinese-English content.

Transcription is automatic. You don't need to do anything but wait. Tinrec turns the entire recording into a searchable, editable transcript with timestamps.

Why keep timestamps? Because they let you jump back to any part of the recording—when you need to check the context of a statement, you don't have to listen from the beginning.

(Illustration: Phone screen showing transcript text with timestamps before each paragraph; user can tap a timestamp to jump back to the recording)

Step 3: Quickly Proofread the Transcript

No matter how accurate AI transcription is, errors can still occur due to accents, jargon, or background noise. So proofreading is necessary.

But proofreading doesn't mean listening to the entire recording again. Tinrec's transcript has timestamps, so you can search for keywords and jump to potential problem areas. For example, if a product name was mentioned, you can search for it to verify the AI got it right.

Additionally, Tinrec supports "team keywords." If your team frequently uses specific terms, you can set them in advance, and AI will prioritize recognizing them during transcription. This can significantly reduce proofreading time.

Once proofread, your transcript becomes a reliable meeting record.

(Illustration: User swiping on phone screen; a word in the transcript is highlighted in red, with a suggested correction nearby)

Step 4: Let AI Generate Meeting Minutes

This is the most appealing feature of AI meeting assistants—automatic meeting minutes.

In Tinrec, after transcription, you can have AI generate a summary, chapters, key points, and action items. The summary gives you a quick overview; chapters break a long meeting into topics; key points list critical decisions; action items organize the tasks mentioned.

You don't need to read the entire transcript. Just look at the AI-generated minutes to understand the meeting.

Stop organizing recordings by hand

Upload audio or video and automatically get a transcript, summary, and action items

Try Tinrec Download the Tinrec app

But I must remind you: it's best to cross-check AI-generated minutes against the transcript. Especially for commitments, decisions, and responsibilities, go back to the timestamp and listen to the original audio to ensure no misunderstandings.

(Illustration: Phone screen showing meeting minutes with summary, chapters, key points, and action items, each with clear headings)

Step 5: Export and Share

Once your meeting minutes are ready, you need to turn them into usable files.

Tinrec supports multiple export formats, including text, PDF, Word, and direct export to third-party tools like Notion, Google Docs, OneNote, and Dropbox. Choose the format that suits your needs.

If you need to share meeting minutes with team members, Tinrec's "Team Space" feature can help.

Make Meeting Data a Team Asset

When you use Tinrec alone, meeting data stays in your personal account. But when you collaborate with a team, scattered meeting records often lead to information gaps—some people miss meeting notes, others can't find past decisions, and new members can't understand project history.

Tinrec's Team Space is designed to solve this problem.

You can create a team space and invite members. All meeting recordings, transcripts, summaries, and action items are stored centrally. Members can view, search, and track progress anytime, without worrying about data scattered across personal devices or chat logs.

For example, after a project meeting, AI generates action items. You can add them to the team space and assign them to responsible members. Then everyone can see the latest progress in the team space, no need for back-and-forth emails or messages.

This is especially valuable for managers. You can review team meeting records, understand project progress, and monitor team members' work status.

Team Space is not "multiple people sharing one personal account"—it's an independent collaboration space. Meeting data belongs to the team, and even if someone leaves, the data stays.

If your team is facing messy meeting records and information silos, try Tinrec's Team Space to turn every meeting into a team asset.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Q: The transcript has many errors. What should I do?

Usually, it's due to a noisy environment or the phone being too far. Tinrec has built-in smart noise reduction—enable it in settings before recording. If you're using an existing file, you can manually select "high noise environment" mode after importing. Most transcription tools don't have this option—they use a default mode for all recordings.

Q: Are AI-generated meeting minutes accurate?

AI-generated minutes are based on the transcript, so accuracy depends on recording quality and content complexity. For important decisions and commitments, always cross-check with the transcript and recording. Tinrec's transcript has timestamps for quick reference.

Q: What languages does Tinrec support?

Tinrec supports Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, and more, and can handle mixed Chinese-English content. For cross-language meetings, Tinrec also offers real-time translation, allowing you to view the original, translation, or bilingual content during recording.

Q: Can I export meeting minutes to other tools?

Yes. Tinrec supports multiple export formats, including text, PDF, Word, and direct export to Notion, Google Docs, OneNote, Dropbox, and more.

Pro Tips: 3 Ways to Double Your Efficiency with Tinrec

1. Use AI Q&A to Quickly Find Key Points

Tinrec isn't just for transcription and summarization—it also has an AI Q&A feature. You can ask it directly: "What did the client say about pricing in this meeting?" "What decisions were made last meeting?" It will answer based on the transcript, saving you from re-reading the entire document.

2. Set Team Keywords to Improve Jargon Recognition

If your team frequently uses specific terms, set them as team keywords in Tinrec. This way, AI will prioritize recognizing them during transcription, reducing proofreading time.

3. Use Agent to Turn Action Items into Action Plans

Tinrec's Agent feature can take action items from meeting minutes and context, and help you turn them into action plans, follow-up materials, reports, tables, or documents. For example, if the meeting decided to write a proposal, Agent can generate a draft. For important commitments, external communications, and key decisions, human review is still recommended.

If You Don't Use Tinrec, Here Are Alternatives

Otter.ai: A mature choice for English business meetings, supports multiple meeting platforms, but Chinese experience and team data management are not as tailored as Tinrec.
Granola: A bot-free AI meeting notes app that emphasizes combining personal notes with AI enhancement, but cannot upload pre-recorded audio and does not retain meeting audio.

If you need Chinese meeting records, bot-free recording, and team data consolidation, Tinrec is a better fit.

Conclusion

With these 5 steps, you can now use Tinrec to turn any recording into a transcript, automatically generate meeting minutes, and even use AI chat to find key points.

But more importantly, you've learned a method: turning meeting data from "record and forget" into "searchable, trackable, collaborative assets."

Next step: Download the free version of Tinrec and try it with your own recording. The free tier includes 100 minutes per month, enough for a few meetings.

Test it step by step, and you'll gradually master this method.