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Install and set up the desktop app
Download HintCall for Mac or Windows, sign in, allow the two permissions it needs to hear the call, and learn the toolbar in the 60-second tour.
Checked against HintCall desktop 0.1.1 and the web app on 27 October 2026
Before you start
The desktop app is what you use during a real interview. It hears the interviewer through your computer's sound, so no bot joins your call and nothing is added to the meeting. It works with Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and Skype.
- Mac: macOS 12 or later. Apple Silicon (M1 to M4).
- Windows: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
- A HintCall account. Create one first if you have not; it takes a minute.
Download and install
-
Download the installer
Open the download page, or Desktop app in the web app sidebar. Current version: 0.1.1.
- Download for Mac (Apple Silicon, M1 to M4). Intel Mac? Download the Intel version.
- Download for Windows (64-bit installer).
-
Install it
Mac: open the
.dmgfile and drag HintCall into Applications, then open it from Applications.Windows: run the
.exeinstaller, then open HintCall from the Start menu.
Sign in
The first screen is Welcome to HintCall. Sign in with the account you created on the web:
- Continue with Google, or your email and password, then Sign in.
- Already signed in on hintcall.com? Click Signed in on hintcall.com? Sign in with your browser and confirm in the browser tab that opens.
The steps along the bottom (Sign in, Permissions, Ready) show where you are. Press Continue when you are signed in.
Allow two permissions
HintCall needs two permissions so answers follow the whole conversation. Nothing is recorded unless you turn recording on in Preferences.
| Permission | Why |
|---|---|
| Their side: Screen & System Audio Recording (Mac) or screen recording (Windows) | Hears the interviewer through your computer's sound and reads coding or written questions on your screen. |
| Your side: Microphone | Hears your side, so each answer builds on what you already said. |
Click Allow on each card, then Allow in the system prompt. On a Mac, the app asks for one quick relaunch after you allow screen and audio access, because macOS turns it on only after a restart. Click Relaunch now and setup picks up where you left off.
Set your role
The last step, You're ready, asks for Your role and your Interview language, so answers use the right terms. Search for your role (for example "Data Engineer" or "Java") or browse a category. You can change both later in Call prep.
Want a dry run first? Try a practice interview starts a warm-up call where an AI interviewer asks you questions out loud and HintCall shows how it helps. Then click Start using HintCall.
The 60-second tour
The first time you open the toolbar, a short tour shows where everything is. It has eight steps; use Next, the back arrow, or Skip tour.
Step 1 of 8
Type anything, privately
Type any question into the overlay. Only you see it, including while you share your screen.
Step 2 of 8
Snap any screen question
Coding problem, online test, job description or email: snap it, then press Answer.
Step 3 of 8
Get the answer
Answer sends the question you just heard, plus any new snaps. The first line is what to say first.
Step 4 of 8
Credits left
The ring shows the credits you have left. A call uses 1 credit per minute while it runs.
Step 5 of 8
Go live and Finish
Go live begins listening and billing. Finish, at the end of the toolbar, stops both.
Step 6 of 8
Everything else: More
The three dots open Preferences, Call prep, Credits and plan, Phone view and the warm-up call.
Step 7 of 8
Move it anywhere
Drag the HintCall name to move the toolbar, or move and resize it from the keyboard.
Step 8 of 8
You are ready
Replay the tour any time from Preferences, General, Tour.
Replay it any time from ⋯ → Preferences → Help → App tour when no call is running.
The toolbar at a glance
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| HintCall mark | Drag it to move the toolbar. |
| Not live yet / Listening | Whether a call is running and HintCall is hearing it. |
| Type ⌘/CtrlShiftI | Write your own question or prompt. |
| Snap ⌘/CtrlH | Add the screen to the snap tray. Nothing is sent until you press Answer. |
| Go live, then Answer ⌘/CtrlEnter | Go live starts the call. Answer sends the question you heard plus any new snaps. |
| Credits ring | Credits left. A call uses 1 credit per minute while it runs. During a call it also shows the timer. |
| ⋯ ⌘/CtrlK | Preferences, Call prep, Credits and plan, Phone view, Warm-up call and Quit HintCall. |
| Finish ⌘/CtrlShift⌫ | Ends the call and stops billing. |
Updates
HintCall checks for updates by itself. When a new version is ready, an Update chip with the version number appears on the toolbar.
-
Click the chip
The update downloads in the background while you keep working, even during a call.
-
Restart when it suits you
When the download finishes the chip reads Restart. Click it, then Click again to confirm. Two clicks are needed so a stray click can never end a live interview.
-
Or do nothing
If you never click Restart, the update is applied the next time you quit the app.
Your version is in ⋯ → Preferences → Help → About, next to Check for updates.
Still stuck?
Open a ticket from Support in the web app, or email us. Tell us what you tried, which guide you were on, and whether you use a Mac or Windows. We usually reply within one working day.