A recording keeps going with the screen off, the phone locked or another app in front. There's nothing to set up.
While it records
A notification shows the recording is running and how much has been transcribed, with its own Stop button. The recording stops itself at the length you chose in Settings under Stop recording after: 15 minutes to 4 hours or Unlimited on a paid plan transcribing on the phone. A forgotten recorder stops on its own and the note is written normally.
Recording from the lock screen (Android)
Turn on Record from the lock screen in Settings. A quiet notification then waits in the shade. Tap Start and a full recording begins without opening the app, even from the lock screen. The note shows up in your feed with a placeholder title you can rename.
One thing to know: the notification isn't there after a restart until you open Parley Notes once. That's a Google Play rule rather than something we chose.
Picking up people across the table
By default the phone records with its own call processing turned off so people a few metres away come through instead of being filtered out as noise. Laying the phone flat in the middle of the table works well.
To record through a Bluetooth headset instead, turn on Prefer Bluetooth device in Settings.
If the battery saver is on
Some Android battery savers cut the network for apps in the background. Your conversation is safe either way: the audio is kept on the phone until the note is written and only then deleted. The summary may just wait until you open the app.