No, the Plaud device (whether Plaud Note, NotePro, or NotePin) does not need your phone to be on, nearby, or connected during recording for it to be fully operational. It works completely independently: • Recordings are stored locally on the device’s built-in 64GB storage. • You can start and stop recording directly on the device (by pressing the record button) without any Bluetooth connection or app involvement. • It supports hours of continuous recording (up to 20–30 hours depending on the model) and long standby time, all offline. You only need to pair/connect the device to your phone (via the Plaud app and Bluetooth) later when you’re ready to transfer the recordings for transcription, summarization, or storage in the app. The phone must be nearby during the transfer process (Bluetooth range), and you can use a “Fast Transfer” mode that switches to Wi-Fi for quicker uploads of large files. This makes it perfect for recording conversations, meetings, or calls on the go, then syncing everything when convenient.

Yes, your single Unlimited Plan covers both Plaud devices. The Plaud AI membership (including the Unlimited Plan) is tied to your account, not to individual devices. You can bind multiple Plaud devices (Plaud Note, NotePro, NotePin, etc.) to the same account with no limit on the number of devices. All recordings from any bound device will use the same subscription for transcription, summarization, and AI features. With the Unlimited Plan, you’ll have unlimited transcription minutes across all your devices—no need for separate plans. You can easily switch between devices in the Plaud app (tap the top-left corner to select the active device), and only one connects at a time for transfers, but recordings are stored locally on each device until synced. This is supported by Plaud’s official documentation (multiple devices per account) and user/review confirmations that one subscription applies to all devices on the account.