Technology
How RecitID's AI recognition works
Last updated
RecitID uses acoustic fingerprinting plus a fine-tuned recitation model. This page explains exactly what the model does, what it doesn't do, and the limits you should keep in mind when using it.
Step 1 — Audio fingerprinting
When you tap record, we capture a short audio sample (up to 18 seconds). The sample is converted into an acoustic fingerprint — a compact signature of the spectral characteristics of the recitation.
Step 2 — Match against known recordings
The fingerprint is compared against a database of indexed reciter recordings. If a strong match is found, the surah, ayah range, and reciter are returned in under two seconds.
Step 3 — AI fallback
If no fingerprint match is found, the audio is passed to a transcription model fine-tuned on Quranic Arabic. The transcription is matched against the Mushaf text to identify the surah and ayah range, even when the reciter is not in our index.
What the model does NOT do
The model does not generate Quranic text. It only matches what you record against verified Mushaf text. It does not judge tajwid quality, qira'at correctness, or recitation style. It does not store your audio after the result is returned.
Known limits
No system is perfect. Accuracy degrades when:
- The recording is shorter than 4 seconds.
- Background noise is louder than the recitation.
- The reciter is unindexed and the audio quality is too low for transcription.
- Multiple voices are reciting simultaneously.
Frequently asked
What's the typical accuracy?
On clean recordings of 6+ seconds from one of our indexed reciters, identification is correct ~94% of the time. For unindexed reciters falling back to transcription, ~85% of the time we still return the correct surah and ayah range.
Does the model hallucinate Quranic text?
No. We never display AI-generated Quranic text. If transcription is uncertain, we return only the surah/ayah numbers and let you read the verified Mushaf text from those references.
Can it identify any qari?
We currently index 200+ qaris. For unindexed reciters, the AI fallback can usually still identify the surah and ayah range from transcription alone — just not the reciter's name.