A useful new AI app transcribes and summarizes your voice notes

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Oasis is a useful new app that records, transcribes and cleans up your short voice memos. I’ve been using it to get ideas out of my head and onto paper. If you like to think out loud, Oasis will be a useful addition to your toolkit.

How Oasis works

Just open the app and hit record. The AI sums up and synthesizes your own words rather than generating text from thin air ala ChatGPT. It’s more useful than prior transcription apps in that it synthesizes, and summarizes what you say. Read on for Oasis’s most useful features, recommended ways to use it, caveats and alternatives.

Six ways to use Oasis

1. On the couch: Save verbal notes on a book so you don’t forget to jot them down.

2. Walking: Remind yourself about an idea you have for a work project.

3. Looking out the window: Make a journal entry by speaking aloud to yourself.

4. Commuting: Draft an email by rambling, no thumb typing necessary.

5. At the gym: Outline a presentation by talking through your key points.

6. At the beach: Write a newsletter or blog post by explaining it out loud minus your laptop.

Get started with Oasis: a one-minute guide

Download the app for iOS or Android (waiting list; available next week)
Open the app.
Select at least one output format: summary, email, outline, blog post, etc.
Tap the giant mic button to start recording.
Talk. Stream of consciousness is fine. The AI will clean up repetition, filler words and gaps later.
Hit stop when done. I recorded a memo nearly 6 minutes long and 935 words, so don’t worry about rambling. There’s a 10-minute limit as of now.
Share the Oasis-generated text into any notes or messaging app or copy and paste it. Your material is also saved in the app, so you can access it later.

How Oasis is distinct from other transcription tools

Strips out mumbling and repetition.
Summarizes and synthesizes your verbal rambling.
Formats your thoughts in useful ways—as an email, outline, Tweet, or whatever else you want.
Unlike Otter, Oasis focuses on AI enhancements rather than raw transcription.
Unlike Descript, it’s made for mobile and not focused on multimedia editing.
Unlike Supernormal.com and 4149.ai, Oasis is focused on voice memos and dictation, not transcribing meetings.

Useful Oasis features

If you’re not sure how you’ll use material you’re dictating, you can just record and add new outputs later when you need them.
Customize your own output by writing a prompt.
Share work that sounds like it’s been thoughtfully edited even when you don’t have time to polish it.
Keep the original recording, the transcript AND whatever other output you choose, such as a summary or outline.

4 apps I like sending text to from Oasis

Day One: journal entries and thoughts on life.
Craft: notes for newsletter posts I’m planning.
Superhuman: composing emails away from my laptop.
Google Docs: drafting ideas for collaborations.

Cost

Oasis is free to try. You’re allocated 30 credits to start. Each use of the AI dictation costs a couple of credits. Expect to pay $5/month or $50/year for a basic subscription, or $150/year for pro access.