How to Use CoPilot Interview for Phone Interviews: What Works and What Doesn't

CoPilot Interview helps in a phone interview only when the call plays through your computer: a meeting link joined with computer audio, a softphone or a web dialer. A call on a separate handset never reaches the computer, so the app can't hear it. A phone on speaker next to the computer reaches only the app's microphone, which works with lower accuracy and is a last resort.

CoPilot Interview is an AI interview assistant for Windows and Mac. It listens to two inputs, the computer's audio output and your microphone, and that is what decides each option below.

What works and what doesn't

Set up the best option: the call on your computer

1. Ask the recruiter whether you can take the call by video link, camera off. Most will say yes.
2. Open CoPilot Interview, click 🎯 Candidate and add the job description and your résumé; recruiter screens lean on both.
3. Click ▶ Start test under 1. Check your audio and play a sound in the calling app. The Interviewer meter should move.
4. Click 🎙 Start Session when the call is due, then answer it on the computer.
5. Click ⚡ AI Answer (Ctrl+Shift+A, or ⌘+Shift+A on a Mac) when a question ends.

On a Mac, if the Interviewer meter reads “no audio”, follow the note the captions area shows, which asks you to install BlackHole for system audio capture. Details are in not hearing the interviewer.

The fallback: a phone on speaker

If the call has to stay on your phone, the app can only hear it the way it hears you: through the computer's microphone. It can work, but expect weaker captions, because the mic hears the phone's small speaker, the room and your own voice in one mix.

1. Put the phone on speaker, close to the computer's microphone, in a quiet room.
2. On Windows, a live session starts with the mic muted (🔇 Muted). Click it to unmute, or the app hears nothing. The Mac app's mic is always on.
3. Before the call, test it: click Record 5 seconds in the audio check while someone talks on speaker, then 🔊 Play back.
4. During the call, click 🆕 New Q before each question so your previous answer doesn't mix into the next prompt.

The phone app

The Android companion is a beta for Android 10 or later, installed from the website rather than Google Play; the iPhone version is coming soon. The homepage describes it listening to a call on speaker or a phone near the laptop, with screenshot tools and the floating answer window kept for the desktop. A phone generally can't listen to a call taking place on that same phone; does an AI interview app work during a phone call explains why.

Limits and rules

A free session lasts up to 15 minutes, which fits only the shortest recruiter screens; Standard sessions run 60 minutes and Pro and Pro+ sessions 70 minutes. Phone screens are where practice pays off most, so rehearse your walkthrough and “why this company” answers with the free AI mock interview first. In the live call, follow your employer's rules; automated or AI-led phone screens forbid outside help. For question-by-question prep, see phone interview help and using a real-time assistant on a phone interview.

Frequently asked questions

Can CoPilot Interview hear a call on my iPhone or Android phone?

Not through the computer's audio. Only a phone on speaker near the computer's microphone reaches it, with lower accuracy. Taking the call on the computer works much better.

What is a softphone?

A calling app on your computer that makes or receives phone calls. Its audio plays through the computer, so CoPilot Interview hears it like any meeting app.

Will my own voice be transcribed?

On Windows, not until you unmute the microphone in the session. On a Mac the microphone is always on, so your voice is always captured.

Is a phone screen long enough for the free plan?

Free sessions run up to 15 minutes with 15 minutes a day in total. Longer screens need a paid plan or an hour pack.