Beside for macOS is a desktop application designed for meeting intelligence. It is not the same as the Beside mobile app, which focuses on phone-based communication.
💻 What Beside for macOS offers | 📱 What Beside for mobile offers | 🔄 What is synced between platforms |
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🧩 System requirements:
macOS 15.0 or later
Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel processor
Google account for login
🖥️ Accessing Beside on macOS
The steps to create your desktop account differ depending on whether you're already using Beside on your phone or starting fresh on your Mac. Below, we’ll explain how to download the app, create your account, and keep everything in sync across devices.
By following the correct setup flow, you can avoid common issues like duplicate accounts or billing problems. ✅
📱 If you're already using Beside on mobile
If you're on a Starter or Business plan on mobile, you get complementary access to the Starter plan on macOS.
To unlock access on desktop, you must first connect your calendar from the mobile app:
Open the Beside app on your iPhone (activation from Android is coming soon)
Go to Settings → tap Get Beside for Mac
Tap Connect Calendar and sign in to your Google account (Outlook coming soon)
Your Beside mobile and macOS accounts are now linked. ✅
➡️ You can log into the Mac app using the same Google account you connected your calendar with. Just check for an email with the download link or download Beside for macOS here.
⚠️ Important:
If you skip this step and create a new account on desktop instead, your accounts won't sync, which can lead to duplicate subscriptions.
If that happens, reach out via the in-app Support chat and ask our AI Support agent to connect you to a live team member. We'll manually link your accounts.
💻 If you're joining Beside from macOS
If you're not already using Beside on mobile, you can easily get started on your desktop. Here's how:
Download Beside for macOS here
Sign-in with your Google account (more sign-in options coming soon)
Tap Continue with Google
Choose the Google account associated with the calendar you want to use with Beside
Grant the necessary permissions:
Read calendar events – to detect upcoming meetings
View event details – to extract links and participants
After that, you'll go through a short onboarding flow tailored to your workflow. You'll join a demo call to preview the experience, then receive AI-generated meeting notes. Once complete, click "Enter Beside" to start using the app.
💻 Beside Desktop subscriptions
Beside for macOS offers two plans:
A Free plan, which includes up to 20 AI-powered meeting recordings per month
A Starter plan with unlimited recordings, infinite memory, and advanced prep features
ℹ️ A Starter subscription purchased on macOS gives you full access to the Starter plan on mobile.
To use Beside on your phone:
Download Beside from the App Store (iPhone, iPad) or Play Store (Android) (available in U.S. & Canada only)
Log in using the same Google account you created on macOS
Do not create a new account: tap Continue with Google
📌 Yearly billing and the Business plan are not yet available on desktop. Features like multiple inboxes and shared lines for team collaboration are only accessible via the mobile app at this time.
📆 Connecting your calendar to Beside desktop
Once you've created your Beside account on macOS, be sure to connect your calendar to access the full suite of meeting features on desktop, including:
Smart pre-meeting prep
AI-generated post-meeting summaries
Reminders and meeting notifications
Without calendar access, Beside won’t be able to detect your meetings or generate summaries.
📖 Check out this article for detailed steps: How do I connect my calendar on macOS?.