Add a cloud connection with an API key
Connect OpenAI, ElevenLabs, OpenRouter, Ollama, and more with your own API key, where the key is stored, and what data is sent.
- macOS
- iPhone
- iPad
Sonasi Meetings doesn't provide AI keys for you. You bring your own API key (BYOK) from the provider you choose and pay them directly for what you use. In return, you get higher accuracy and a wider choice of models.
Supported providers
| Provider | Used for | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | Transcription, translation, summary, voice | Mac, iPhone, iPad (voice on Mac only) |
| ElevenLabs | Transcription, voice | Mac, iPhone, iPad (voice on Mac only) |
| Anthropic | Translation, summary | iPhone, iPad |
| OpenRouter | Translation, summary | All |
| Ollama / LM Studio | Translation, summary | All (iPhone and iPad use Ollama Cloud) |
| VieNeu | Vietnamese voice | Mac |
| Custom (OpenAI-compatible) | Translation, summary | All, you enter the Base URL |
Steps to add a connection
Mac: go to Connections in the sidebar → Add connection. iPhone and iPad: Settings → Cloud providers → Connections, tap the + sign.
- Choose the Provider. The name and Base URL are filled in for you.
- Paste your API key. On Mac there's a button to show or hide the key. Ollama or LM Studio running on your own computer doesn't need a key.
- Mac: click Test connection, then Save. iPhone and iPad: tap Verify & save.
- Choose what to use it for (Used for on Mac, Use it for on iPhone and iPad): the capabilities you want (Transcription, Translation, Summary). On Mac, after verification the app asks whether to make this provider the default engine for those capabilities.
The add-connection screen has step-by-step instructions for getting a key from the provider you've selected.
Where to get an API key
- OpenAI: OpenAI's API management page (platform.openai.com). Create an account, add credit under billing, then create a secret key under API keys.
- ElevenLabs: elevenlabs.io → Profile → API Keys. When you create the key, turn on the permissions Speech to Text, Text to Speech, and Voices (read), or transcription and voice won't work.
- OpenRouter: openrouter.ai. Add credit, then create a key under Keys.
- Anthropic: Anthropic's API management page.
- Ollama Cloud: ollama.com → Settings → Keys.
- Ollama or LM Studio on your computer: install the app, run a model, use the Base URL
http://localhost:11434/v1, and no key is needed. - VieNeu: vieneu.io, the Developer page. The key starts with
vn_sk_and is shown only once, so save it right away.
Where the key is stored
API keys are stored in your device's Keychain. They don't sync through iCloud and aren't in the settings file. The list of connections (name, address, status) doesn't contain keys.
What data is sent
Only the capabilities you set to Cloud send data to the matching provider:
| Capability | Data sent |
|---|---|
| Transcription | Audio (in chunks or as a real-time stream) |
| Translation | Each line of text with its surrounding context and your personal glossary |
| Summary, Polish | The full content of the recording or translation |
| Voice (Mac) | The translation text |
How a provider handles data follows its own policy, not Sonasi's. A server running on your own computer or local network (for example localhost) counts as On device.
Edit or delete a connection
- Mac: click the row to edit it, or the … menu → Edit / Delete.
- iPhone and iPad: touch and hold a connection → Delete.
Deleting a connection also removes the key from your device. You can't delete a connection that's the engine for a capability, so switch that capability to another engine first.
Having trouble connecting? See Cloud connection and API key errors.