> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://runporter.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://runporter.gitbook.io/docs/recording-a-visit/where-your-recording-goes.md).

# Where your recording goes

The rule Porter is built around: **a recording cannot be lost.** You record a customer conversation once, and it cannot be re-recorded. So the audio is written to your phone's storage *before* anything else happens, and nothing Porter does afterwards ever deletes it because something went wrong.

## The sequence

1. You tap **Done**.
2. Porter saves the audio file to the device, then sends it. The recording screen stays up with a spinner while both happen.
3. Porter opens the conversation it just created, and analysis begins.

If you have no signal, nothing breaks. Porter stops waiting after about twenty seconds and shows you the recording's screen — **Saved to this device. Uploading…** — instead. The recording waits in a queue on your phone and sends itself later; that screen turns into the conversation as soon as the upload lands.

The wait is only about *where you land*. The audio is already saved to your phone before the spinner appears, so nothing is at risk while you watch it.

## Recordings that have not sent yet

An unsent recording appears **at the top of your Conversations list**, labelled, so it is never silently missing. Tap it to see its status.

Porter retries automatically when:

* you open the app
* you bring it back to the foreground
* the phone regains a connection

There is no "retry" button, because you would only ever be pressing it to do something Porter is already doing.

When queued recordings finally land — after a basement, a drive and a reconnect — a short message appears at the bottom of the screen telling you they sent.

## Statuses you might see

| What the screen says                                        | What it means                                                          | What to do                                                                                                                   |
| ----------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Saved to this device. Uploading…**                        | Normal. The upload is in progress or waiting for signal.               | Nothing.                                                                                                                     |
| **Upload pending** — *the recording is safe on this device* | An upload attempt failed for a reason retrying will not fix.           | Contact support. The audio is still on your phone and can be recovered.                                                      |
| **Saved, but too long to send**                             | The recording is over the size limit for a single upload.              | Contact support. The file is safe and nothing will delete it, but it cannot be sent until Porter supports resumable uploads. |
| **That recording isn't on this device anymore.**            | The recording already uploaded and its local copy has been cleaned up. | Find it in your Conversations list.                                                                                          |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Logging out does **not** send or delete queued recordings. They stay on the device exactly where they are. If you have unsent visits, stay signed in until they have gone.
{% endhint %}

## How long a recording can be

Audio quality decides how much fits under the upload limit:

| Quality setting        | Roughly how long a single recording can run |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| **Standard** (default) | About 4½ hours                              |
| **Higher**             | About 2¼ hours                              |

Both record in mono, which is right for a conversation in a room. Change this in **Account → Recording settings → Audio quality**.

## The copy on your phone

After a recording has uploaded, Porter keeps the local audio file for **7 days** and then removes it. That window exists so support can recover an original if something goes wrong server-side.

If you are tight on storage, turn on **Account → Recording settings → Delete local audio after upload**. Porter then removes the local file as soon as the server has confirmed it has the recording — never before.