Can software write your inspection report from voice notes?

The short answer

If you want to talk instead of type on site, the way that works today is to say one finding at a time into your report app, then check the text before it goes in the report. Whatever the tool, you still read every line before your name goes on it.

Hive Inspect works this way. In the mobile app, Smart Add has a microphone button that uses your phone's own speech recognition. You say the finding, and Smart Add matches it to comments in your own template, or drafts a new comment for you to check. Hive does not record a long voice memo and write the whole report from it.

One finding at a time, or one long memo?

Recording a memo as you walk feels fast. The work comes later. Someone has to split the memo into findings, put each one in the right section, match the photos and write it up. That's the evening job you were trying to avoid.

Saying one finding at a time, where you find it, avoids that:

• The finding lands in the right section straight away, with its photos.
• You check the wording while you're still standing in front of the defect.
• When you leave the property, there's nothing left to sort.

How to dictate a finding in Hive, step by step

1. Open the report in the app and tap Smart Add. The button sits at the bottom of the screen. It works from the section list, inside a section or inside a subsection.
2. Tap the microphone in Smart Add and say the finding. Say whether it's information, a limitation or a defect, where it is, and what you saw. For example: "Defect in the detached garage, cracked concrete floor."
3. Check the text. Your phone turns your words into text. Fix any word it misheard before you go on.
4. Add photos or a video. Take them now or pick them from your gallery, and mark them up if you like.
5. Pick a match. Smart Add searches every comment in the report and shows up to three matches, each with a match score and the section it lives in. Tap Attach photos here on the right one, then Done.
6. No good match? Create a new comment. Tap Create new comment with Hive Comment Assist. Hive drafts the comment name and description from what you said, and picks the section and subsection from the ones in your template. For a defect it also suggests the category and the type of contractor to call.
7. Review and confirm. Edit anything you like, then tap Confirm & Add to Report. Tap Save to Template first if you want the comment ready on every future report.

Inspectors report Smart Add saves them 25–30 minutes per inspection.

Tips for findings that match well

• Name the type, the place and the problem. "Defect, master bath, slow drain at the sink" gives Smart Add more to match than "slow drain".
• Use the words your comments use. If your template says "GFCI", say "GFCI", not "the safety outlet".
• One finding per entry. Two problems in one sentence make the match worse. Say them one after the other.
• Read before you confirm. Speech recognition can mishear a word, especially next to a running furnace or a loud fan.
• Set your company's wording once. New comments follow your company writing prompt, so drafts read the way you write. Set it on the web under Business Tools → Hive AI.

Hands-free photos

If the phone is on a stand or your hands are full, turn on Voice Shutter in the app under My Profile → Camera Settings → Voice Shutter. Then say a keyword to take a photo.

Dictating anywhere else in the app

The Smart Add microphone is for adding findings. For any other text field, such as a note or a comment you're editing, use the microphone on your phone's keyboard.

What Hive doesn't do

So you know what to expect:

• Hive doesn't turn a voice recording into a report. You add findings one at a time.
• Hive doesn't analyze your photos. Photos attach to comments, but the AI works from your words.
• Smart Add and AI Comment Assist need an internet connection. Taking photos, writing and editing work without signal.
• Nothing goes into the report until you confirm it. You approve every comment.

At the desk: type a few words instead

On a laptop, the same drafting is in the web report editor. Click Add Comment, then Generate using Hive Comment Assist, type a few words such as "leaky faucet under kitchen sink", pick a length, and Hive drafts the comment for you to check.

For the full routine of finishing on site, read how to finish home inspection reports on site and send them the same day. For how Smart Add and AI Comment Assist fit together, see the Smart Add page and how home inspectors use AI to write inspection reports.