Skip to content
CueBee
EN中文
Invite & earnOpen web appOpen app

Getting started

Install, sign in and try it once. About 5 minutes.

3 min read
Someone holding a laptop in one hand and a phone in the other, CueBee open on both

Three things CueBee helps with

WingmanStuck mid-conversation, not sure what to say nextPress once and your earbuds tell you what to say.TranslationA class, a meeting or a video in a language you don’t followThe translation appears as soon as they speak.InterviewAn interview coming up and afraid you’ll blankWhen the interviewer finishes, press one key and your answer is there.

1. Download and install

Open cuebee.ca/download:

Click Download for Mac, then choose your Mac: Apple silicon or Intel processor.

Not sure which? Open the Apple menu → About This Mac. If it says Chip Apple M…, you have Apple silicon. Needs macOS Sonoma 14.2 or later.

Click Download for Windows and open the installer. Needs Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit).

Seeing “Windows protected your PC”? That’s because CueBee isn’t code-signed yet. Click More info, then Run anyway.

The App Store release is still under review, so for now install the beta with TestFlight:

① Install TestFlight ② Open the CueBee invitation ③ Accept it and install CueBee

Tap Download for Android (preview). Open the downloaded file and, when Android asks, allow your browser to install apps.

Needs a 64-bit phone on Android 12 or later. It isn’t in an app store yet: when there’s a new version, CueBee’s Home tells you, and you download and install it again.

2. Sign in

Use Apple, Google or email. Apple and Google open your browser and bring you back to CueBee when you’re done. First time? Click Create account and we’ll email you a 6-digit code.

Tick the box to agree to the terms, then choose Apple, Google or email. Signing up with email sends you a 6-digit code.

Tick the box to agree to the terms, then choose Google or email. Signing up with email sends you a 6-digit code.

Android can’t sign in with Apple yet. If your account only uses Apple, you can’t sign in on Android for now.

Use the same account on your computer and your phone: hours, backgrounds and history are all shared.

Got an invite link from a friend?

Open the link and sign up on the web first, or the invite doesn’t count. Then sign in to the app with the same account. Your friend’s invite gift arrives once you’ve used CueBee for a while.

Used the old CueBee app?

After you sign in with Apple, CueBee asks “Used CueBee before?”. Choose Recover my old records and sign in once more with the Apple ID from the old app: your sessions, backgrounds and remaining hours come back.

3. Allow the microphone

The first time you start a conversation, your device asks whether CueBee can use the microphone. Choose Allow. CueBee doesn’t record when no conversation is on.

To hear Zoom, Meet or an online class, or to screenshot a question: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen & System Audio Recording, turn on CueBee, then quit and reopen CueBee.

Chose Don’t Allow by mistake? System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, turn on CueBee, then restart CueBee.

CueBee can’t hear you? In Windows Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone, make sure apps may use your microphone. Meeting audio needs no extra permission.

It asks for the camera when you scan a code to join, and for Photos when you save an invite picture: allow them when you get there. Tapped the wrong button? Turn it on in the iPhone’s Settings → CueBee.

It also asks about notifications, which show “CueBee is listening”; it works without them. Duo mode with earbuds asks for Nearby devices, and scanning a code asks for the camera.

4. Put your earbuds in

CueBee reads its tips into your earbuds, so only you hear them. Without earbuds they play from your computer’sphone’s speaker, and the other person hears them too.

With Bluetooth earbuds, choose your computer’s built-in or a wired microphone: Bluetooth earbud microphones sound poor.If your earbuds have a transparency or ambient mode, turn it on so you still hear the other person clearly.
Someone walking across campus with earbuds in

5. Try it once: 3 minutes

After you first sign in, a one-minute tour has you set a background, choose how CueBee listens, tune replies and voice, then practise the gestures. Practice keeps the microphone off and uses no hours. Skipped it? Replay it anytime from Settings → View Tutorial.

Follow the three steps below to try Wingman once. Or open Profile → View tutorial for a two-minute walkthrough.

Write a one-line background
On Home, click Background: Set one first → + Add Background.On Home, tap Background → Add background. For example:Tomorrow I’m talking to my landlord about renewing. I want him to keep the rent where it is.
Start listening
Skip the few questions CueBee asks, glance at the rehearsalpreview, then choose Start conversation. When it asks what to listen to, choose Your microphone.
Say something, then press
Play the landlord and say “I’m putting the rent up 10%”, then press Mac: Control Option IWindows: Ctrl Alt ITap the screen and see what CueBee suggests.

Want to try translation first? Pick a language under Translate into and play a video in another language.

6. See how much time you have

New accounts get free hours, no card needed. Wingman and translation are counted separately.

Where to look: Profile → Plan & hoursSettings → Plan & hoursSettings → Plan & Usage. All your devices share the same hours.

How much you get, and what each plan includes: see the pricing page.

What to read next

Still have questions?

How many devices can one account use?

Your computer, your phone and the web can all use the same account, sharing hours, backgrounds and history. Start a conversation on one, tap Join on another, and follow along there.

What can the web app do?

Right now it does translation (in Chrome, Edge or Safari), and you can look through your history and watch conversations others share. Wingman and interview mode need the app.

Is CueBee always recording?

No. It only listens once you start a conversation or a translation, and stops when you end or pause it.

What happens when my time runs out?

The conversation stops, and everything recorded so far is saved. Need more time? See the pricing page.

Welcome to CueBee

Can’t install or sign in? Email hello@cuebee.ca