What is YouTube Import?
YouTube Import allows you to download audio from YouTube videos and automatically transcribe and analyze them using Hedy's powerful AI. Perfect for capturing insights from presentations, lectures, podcasts, or any YouTube content you want to analyze and reference later.
Getting Started
Open the Hedy app
Navigate to the Sessions tab
Tap the + button in the top right
Select Import from YouTube
Paste a YouTube URL or video ID
Select your meeting type (Work, Personal, Medical, etc.)
Wait for the download to complete
The transcription will begin automatically
How It Works
Hedy downloads the audio track from YouTube videos and processes it locally on your device using the same Whisper AI technology used for live recordings.
Local Processing: Audio is transcribed on your device for privacy
Automatic Quality Selection: Hedy selects optimal audio quality for transcription
Smart Retry: If YouTube changes cause errors, Hedy automatically retries with different methods
Supported Content
YouTube Import works with most publicly available YouTube videos:
Educational lectures and tutorials
Podcast episodes
Conference presentations
Interview recordings
Any video with clear speech audio
Note: Some videos may not be available for download due to restrictions set by the video owner or YouTube's policies.
Best Practices
Choose videos with clear audio and minimal background noise for best results
For long videos, ensure you have sufficient storage space on your device
Use a stable internet connection for faster downloads
Select the appropriate meeting type to get the most relevant AI analysis
Import videos in your preferred transcription language for better accuracy
Troubleshooting
Download fails with "YouTube has updated their system"
This is a temporary issue that occurs when YouTube changes their API
Try again in a few hours or with a different video
Most videos will continue to work normally
Our team is automatically notified and works to resolve these issues quickly
Video not found or invalid URL
Ensure you're using a valid YouTube URL or video ID
Supported formats: youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID, youtu.be/VIDEO_ID, or just the VIDEO_ID
Check that the video is publicly available (not private or deleted)
Remove any extra text or timestamps from the URL
Download is very slow
Check your internet connection speed
Longer videos naturally take more time to download
The app downloads audio only, not video, to save bandwidth
You can cancel and retry if the download seems stuck
Transcription quality is poor
Ensure the YouTube video has clear audio quality
Videos with heavy accents or technical jargon may need custom vocabulary entries
Check that you've selected the correct transcription language in Settings
Consider using a larger Whisper model for better accuracy (Premium feature)
Pro tip: For frequently referenced YouTube channels or creators, add their common terms and names to your custom vocabulary for improved transcription accuracy.
Privacy & Data
Your privacy is important. Here's how YouTube Import handles your data:
Audio files are downloaded directly to your device
Transcription happens locally using on-device AI
Downloaded audio files are automatically cleaned up after processing
No YouTube account connection is required
Your viewing history remains private
Platform Availability
YouTube Import is available on all Hedy platforms:
iOS: Full functionality with background processing
Android: Full functionality with background processing
macOS: Full functionality with system integration
Windows: Full functionality (when available)