# Shoulder Surf

> Meeting and interview assistant for iPhone that helps you stay focused and engaged when conversations matter.

Shoulder Surf was built by a developer who struggled to keep track of details across back-to-back meetings. It listens to your conversations in real time, transcribes what's being said, and lets you ask questions or get summaries with a single tap. Answers appear on screen or are read privately through your AirPods or Bluetooth headphones.

The app runs entirely on your iPhone. No software is installed on any other device. It works with any meeting format: Zoom, Teams, in-person, phone calls, conferences, interviews.

The site auto-detects Spanish browser language and serves a fully translated experience.

## Company

- Company: WEIRTECH
- Address: 5 Starboard Centre, Route 1 Suite 0042, Bethany Beach, Delaware 19930, USA
- Website: https://shouldersurf.com
- Support: support@shouldersurf.com
- Privacy: privacy@shouldersurf.com

## Status

Shoulder Surf is live on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6760098225

## Key Pages

- [Home](https://shouldersurf.com/)
- [Features](https://shouldersurf.com/features)
- [Plans & Pricing](https://shouldersurf.com/upgrade)
- [Quick Prompts](https://shouldersurf.com/prompts)
- [How We Compare](https://shouldersurf.com/compare)
- [Shoulder Surf vs Granola](https://shouldersurf.com/compare/granola)
- [Shoulder Surf vs Cluely](https://shouldersurf.com/compare/cluely)
- [Shoulder Surf vs After Call](https://shouldersurf.com/compare/aftercall)
- [Interview Prep](https://shouldersurf.com/interview)
- [Air Gap Advantage](https://shouldersurf.com/airgap)
- [Document and Gantt Generation](https://shouldersurf.com/gantt)
- [Privacy Policy](https://shouldersurf.com/privacy)
- [Terms of Service](https://shouldersurf.com/terms)
- [Key Security](https://shouldersurf.com/key-security)
- [Support](https://shouldersurf.com/support)
- [Accessibility](https://shouldersurf.com/accessibility)
- [Detailed content for LLMs](https://shouldersurf.com/llms-full.txt)

## How It Works

1. Place your iPhone on the desk. The built-in microphone captures what's being said.
2. Shoulder Surf transcribes speech in real time with speaker identification.
3. Tap a Quick Prompt or type a question. The AI has the full conversation context.
4. Read the answer on screen or hear it privately through your AirPods or Bluetooth headphones.

## AI Modes

Shoulder Surf supports 10 providers and 48 models total across three modes:

- **Managed AI (Shoulder Surf AI)**: Cloud AI through subscription plans. The model is auto-selected based on your tier. Includes meeting memory on Pro and above.
- **On-Device (Apple)**: Uses Apple Intelligence Foundation Models on supported hardware (iPhone 15 Pro+). All processing stays on your device. Free forever.
- **Bring Your Own Key (BYOK)**: Use your own API key from any of eight cloud providers, including OpenRouter for unified access to 17 curated frontier models. Requests go directly from your device to the provider. Keys are stored in the iOS Keychain. Free forever.

### Supported providers and models

| Provider | Models |
|----------|--------|
| Managed AI | Auto (selected by subscription tier) |
| Apple (on-device) | Apple Intelligence Foundation Models |
| Anthropic (BYOK) | Claude Fable 5, Claude Opus 5, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Opus 4.7, Claude Sonnet 5, Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Haiku 4.5 |
| OpenAI (BYOK) | GPT-5.6 Sol, GPT-5.6 Terra, GPT-5.6 Luna, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.4, GPT-5.4 Mini, GPT-5.4 Nano |
| Google (BYOK) | Gemini 3.1 Pro, Gemini 3.6 Flash, Gemini 3.5 Flash, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, Gemini 3.5 Flash Lite |
| xAI (BYOK) | Grok 4.3 |
| DeepSeek (BYOK) | DeepSeek V4 Pro, DeepSeek V4 Flash |
| Moonshot/Kimi (BYOK) | Kimi K2.6, Kimi K2.5 |
| Alibaba/Qwen (BYOK) | Qwen3.7 Max, Qwen3.7 Plus, Qwen Max, Qwen Plus, Qwen Flash |
| OpenRouter (BYOK) | 17 curated frontier models including Gemini 3 Flash, Claude Opus 4.8, Claude Sonnet 4.6, GPT-5.5, GPT-5.5 Pro, GPT-5, GPT-5 Mini, Gemini 3.1 Pro, Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite, DeepSeek V4 Pro, DeepSeek V4 Flash, Perplexity Sonar, Llama 4 Maverick, Grok 4.3, Mistral Large 2512, Qwen3 VL 235B |

## Subscription Plans

All plans are billed monthly through the Apple App Store. Meeting memory and document generation require the Pro plan ($14.99/mo).

| Plan | Price | AI | Cloud AI | Meeting reports | Project chat | Meeting memory | Document generation |
|------|-------|-----|----------|-----------------|--------------|----------------|---------------------|
| Free | $0 | Standard AI | ~5 hrs/month | No | No | No | No |
| Plus | $9.99/mo | Standard AI | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Pro | $14.99/mo | Advanced AI | Unlimited | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |

The Free cloud AI allowance is about 5 hours a month and renews every month. Based on a 1 hour meeting with typical queries and context; actual usage may vary.

On-device AI and BYOK modes are always free, regardless of subscription.

## Quick Prompts (Built-in)

- **Catch Me Up**: Summarizes what was just said in one helpful paragraph.
- **Help Me Respond**: Drafts a natural response you could give right now.
- **What Do I Need to Do?**: Lists action items with owners and deadlines.
- **Is That Right?**: Flags anything incorrect or unverifiable.
- **What Are We Missing?**: Challenges assumptions constructively.

## Key Features

- Real-time transcription with speaker identification
- Rolling summaries that update throughout the meeting
- Visual context via rear camera (slides, whiteboards, documents)
- AirPod and Bluetooth headphone audio delivery with adjustable TTS speed
- Dynamic Island and Lock Screen integration
- iCloud sync between iPhone and iPad
- Meeting memory (Pro and above) powered by Context Quilt
- Fully customizable Quick Prompts
- Action items exported to iOS Reminders

## Common Use Cases

- **Back-to-back meetings**: Catch up after stepping away, recall what was decided two meetings ago, never lose the thread of a long day.
- **Interviews**: Quietly nudge yourself toward the right answer when you blank on a definition, a STAR story, or a smart question to ask back. See https://shouldersurf.com/interview.
- **Working in a second language**: Live captions, suggested responses, and the ability to ask "what did they just mean?" without breaking the conversation.
- **Neurodivergent professionals**: Designed for people who think differently and need a quiet hand on their shoulder to stay engaged and on track.

## How It Compares

Competitor pricing and platform details below were checked against each vendor's own pages on July 31, 2026.

The closest alternatives are Hedy AI ($12.99/mo, also runs on phone with no bot, surfaces real-time insights automatically rather than on request, no BYOK, but reaches Android and Windows and offers a lifetime purchase), Cluely ($19.99/mo desktop Pro plus an iPhone app billed separately in-app, real-time on both Mac and iPhone, no BYOK), and Granola ($14/user/mo Business, the strongest meeting write-up in the category, with iPhone and Apple Watch apps that transcribe live, though the finished notes land after the conversation). Otter, Fireflies, Fathom, and Krisp are transcription-first tools focused on what happened after, and Fireflies puts a bot in the call.

Cross-meeting memory is no longer a differentiator: Hedy, Cluely, and Granola all offer some form of it, two of them on their free tiers. What is specific to Shoulder Surf is the combination of asking on tap rather than being pushed suggestions, answers delivered privately through AirPods, the rear camera taking in slides, whiteboards, and on-screen captions alongside the audio, and full choice of AI provider including Apple on-device and bring-your-own-key across 10 providers and 48 models. Shoulder Surf is iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch only, requires iOS 26 or later, and has no Android, Windows, or web version.

Full comparison at https://shouldersurf.com/compare.

## Privacy & Security

- Audio recordings never leave your device in any mode.
- In BYOK mode, API keys are stored in the iOS Keychain and requests go directly to the provider.
- In Shoulder Surf AI mode, transcripts are processed through WEIRTECH servers using our managed cloud AI (Standard or Advanced AI depending on your plan). Meeting memory is stored in the cloud.
- On-device mode: nothing leaves your phone.
- Full privacy policy: https://shouldersurf.com/privacy
- Key security details: https://shouldersurf.com/key-security

## Accessibility

- VoiceOver support with accessibility labels on all controls
- Reduced Motion support (crossfades replace spring animations)
- Dynamic Type scaling throughout the app
- Light mode, dark mode, and high contrast support
- 44pt+ touch targets on all interactive elements
- Real-time captions with speaker identification
- Adjustable TTS speed (1x, 1.2x, 1.5x, 2x) with voice selection