Huddles let you make a quick call with a colleague directly from a Factorial direct message, or talk with your whole team from a group channel, without leaving your conversation. During the call, you can chat, take notes, and follow the transcript live, then get an AI-generated recap about 90 seconds after the call ends.

Overview

Huddles are useful when a conversation is easier to resolve with a quick call. You can start a huddle from any direct message, and the other person receives a call notification even if Factorial is open in a different browser tab.

You can also start a huddle in a group channel. Anyone in the channel can start it and anyone can drop in, on web and mobile. Nobody gets rung: the channel shows a live call card that others can join.

After the call, Factorial creates an AI summary with key points, decisions, action items, open questions, and the full transcript, when the summary is available.

Huddles and AI summaries are controlled separately:

• Huddles must be enabled for the company and require Communications chat
• Huddles in group channels are turned on per company, so they may not be available for your company yet
• AI summaries have their own setting and are enabled by default. Companies can keep Huddles available without using AI summaries.
• AI summaries use the company’s available AI credits and follow the company’s AI settings

How to use

Start a Huddle

1. Open a direct message with the colleague you want to call
2. Select Huddle
3. The colleague receives an incoming call notification
4. The direct message shows a call card with the current status: Ringing, In progress, Ended, or Missed

Start or join a Huddle in a group channel

1. Open the group channel
2. Select Huddle in the channel header
3. The other channel members see a live call card with a Join button. Nobody receives a ringing call.
4. To join a huddle that is already in progress, select Join on the call card

On mobile, you can start and join a group huddle from the channel header or from the call card.

Answer an incoming Huddle

1. When someone calls you, a pop-up appears in the bottom-right corner with the caller’s name and photo
2. Select Answer to open the conversation and join the Huddle
3. Select Dismiss if you do not want to answer immediately
4. If you dismiss the call, it is silenced for you across your Factorial tabs. The Huddle remains open, so you can still join it from the call card.

   

Answer a Huddle on mobile

On mobile, incoming huddles in direct messages can ring like a phone call, even when your phone is locked or the Factorial app is closed:

• iOS: the call appears as a native phone call
• Android: the call appears as a call notification

When you hang up, the ringing stops on all your devices.

Use the tools during a Huddle

During the call, you can:

• Pick your speaker: Choose your speaker directly from the call screen.
• Send reactions: React during the call without interrupting.
• Chat: Continue using the conversation while you call. Chat opens in its own panel.
• Transcript: Follow the conversation as it is transcribed. The transcript appears a few seconds after people speak and opens in its own panel.
• Notes: Write down information while you talk. Notes open in their own panel.

Your camera starts as you left it in your last call. If the transcript is paused, everyone in the call sees a notification.

In large group huddles on mobile, active speakers stay in view, and a +N tile lists everyone else in the call.

In Chrome, the Huddle can follow you when you switch browser tabs in a small floating window.

View the AI summary

After the Huddle ends, Factorial needs approximately 90 seconds to finish transcribing the final part of the conversation and create the summary.

1. Open the direct message or channel where the Huddle took place
2. Wait for the call card to finish processing
3. While the summary is being prepared, the card displays: The summary of this call is being written. It will be here shortly. You can select See more to open your notes in the meantime.
4. Once it is ready, review the short recap directly on the call card
5. Select See more to open the complete Huddle summary

Review the Huddle summary

The Summary tab can include:

• Overview: A short description of the conversation
• Call type: For example, Quick sync, Brainstorm, Decision, or Status update
• Key points: The main topics discussed
• Decisions: Decisions made during the call
• Action items: Tasks, the person responsible, and the relevant date
• Open questions: Questions that still need to be resolved
• Topics: The subjects discussed during the call

The Transcript tab shows the conversation with the speaker’s photo, name, and the time of each contribution.

Find your past Huddles

All the huddles you attended in a conversation are available in one place:

1. Open the conversation
2. Open the conversation details from the header menu
3. Go to the Meetings tab

Huddles are grouped by day.

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting

• The Huddle does not start
  Make sure Huddles are enabled for your company and that Communications chat is available. You can only participate in one Huddle at a time.
• I cannot see the Huddle option in a group channel
  Huddles in group channels are turned on per company. If the option is not available, they may not be enabled for your company yet.
• I cannot join a group Huddle
  A group huddle holds up to 50 people. If it is full, you see a message saying so.
• I did not hear the incoming call
  Check your notification settings and the Ring on incoming huddles setting on your device. Also check whether the chat is muted or notifications are paused. Group channel huddles do not ring.
• I dismissed the call by mistake
  Dismiss only silences the incoming call for you. You can still join the Huddle from the call card while the call is in progress.
• The transcript is delayed
  The transcript is generated live but can appear a few seconds after someone speaks. This is expected behaviour.
• The AI summary is not available
  The summary may not be generated when:
  
  • The call was too short
  • Nothing was transcribed
  • There was not enough content to summarise
  • AI summaries are turned off for the company
  • The company has no AI credits available
• The summary is still being generated
  It can take approximately 90 seconds after the Huddle ends for the transcript to finish and the AI summary to become available.
• The summary contains incorrect information
  AI summaries may contain errors. Review the transcript and the original conversation before relying on important decisions, dates, or action items.

FAQ

1. Can I use Huddles without AI summaries?
   Yes. Huddles and AI summaries have separate settings. A company can keep Huddles enabled while turning off AI summaries.
    
2. Are AI summaries available on mobile?
   Yes. Mobile support is included in the mobile app release that contains the feature. A new App Store or Google Play app version is required; the feature is not delivered through an over-the-air update.
    
3. When is the AI summary available?
   The summary is usually available approximately 90 seconds after the Huddle ends, once the final part of the conversation has been transcribed.
    
4. What happens if I have several Factorial tabs open?
   You hear the incoming Huddle notification only once. You can answer from the notification and continue the call across your Factorial tabs.
    
5. What does the AI summary contain?
   Depending on the conversation, it can include an overview, call type, key points, decisions, action items, open questions, topics, and the full transcript.
    
6. Is the AI summary always generated?
   No. A summary may not be generated if the call is too short, nothing was transcribed, there is not enough content to summarise, AI summaries are disabled, or the company has no AI credits available.
    
7. Can I start a Huddle with more than one person?
   Yes. Start a huddle in a group channel. Anyone in the channel can start it or join it, up to 50 people.
    
8. Who can read the summary of a group Huddle?
   Every member of the channel can read the AI summary, even if they did not join the call. People removed from the channel lose access to the call, its transcript, and its summary.
    
9. Where can I find my previous Huddles?
   Open the conversation details from the header menu and go to the Meetings tab. It lists the huddles you attended, grouped by day.