Supported devices and system requirements

Last updated: June 5, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Not sure if your device can run Wispr Flow? Use this page to confirm your Mac, Windows PC, iPhone, or Android phone meets the requirements before you install.

System requirements by platform

Mac

Operating system: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later, including macOS 26 (Tahoe).

Hardware:

  • Processor: Apple Silicon or Intel-based Mac

  • Memory: 8 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 500 MB available

  • Microphone: Built-in or a supported external microphone

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access

  • Accessibility access — allows Flow to type text for you

  • Screen capture access (optional) — allows Flow to capture screen context to improve dictation accuracy when needed

Important: Download the version that matches your Mac's processor. If you run the Intel version on an Apple Silicon Mac, Flow displays a message and quits — download the Apple Silicon version from wisprflow.ai before relaunching.

Note: When using your Mac with the lid closed (clamshell mode), use an external microphone — the built-in mic is unavailable.

Note: Flow requests these permissions during setup. If you revoke one later, Flow flags it and asks you to re-enable it before continuing.

Enterprise deployment: A PKG installer is available for macOS MDM tools (Jamf, Kandji, Intune). Wispr provides a .mobileconfig profile to pre-grant Accessibility permission silently. Microphone access cannot be pre-granted by MDM on macOS — users are prompted on first use. A separate managed-config .mobileconfig is also available for controlling auto-update frequency.

Windows

Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11.

Hardware:

  • Processor: x64 (64-bit). ARM-based Windows devices (Windows on ARM, Snapdragon) are not officially supported and may not work correctly.

  • Memory: 8 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 200 MB available

  • Microphone: Working built-in or external microphone

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access — Windows manages this at the OS level. If Flow can't detect your microphone, open Windows Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable access. Flow also shows a "Microphone access is disabled" notification with an "Open Settings" button that takes you directly to this page.

Note: An audio output device is optional. Flow works without a default audio output configured.

Enterprise deployment: Two Windows installers are available — Wispr Flow Setup.exe (per-user, for self-install) and Wispr Flow.msi (machine-wide, for enterprise/MDM deployment via Intune, SCCM, or similar tools).

iOS

Supported devices: iPhone only.

Operating system: iOS 18.3 or later.

Hardware:

  • Microphone: Built-in microphone

  • Memory: 4 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 500 MB available

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access

  • Full Access for the Flow Keyboard — enable in Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Flow → Allow Full Access

Optional permissions:

  • App Tracking Transparency — used for analytics

Note: The iOS app is portrait-only and displays in Light Mode regardless of your system Dark Mode setting. Some UI elements (such as tab bar labels) use a fixed text size and don't scale with Dynamic Type.

Note: The Flow Keyboard's bottom row has no period or punctuation key — the space bar fills the full width. On small-screen iPhones (iPhone SE 2nd and 3rd generation, 4.7"), a globe (🌐) button appears in all keyboard modes so you can switch to other installed keyboards.

Android

Supported devices: Smartphones. Tablets and foldables may work but aren't officially optimized.

Operating system: Android 13 – Android 16 (API 36).

Hardware:

  • Microphone: Built-in microphone

  • Memory: 6 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 500 MB available

  • Accelerometer: Required for shake gesture support. Devices without an accelerometer can't install Flow from the Google Play Store.

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access

  • Accessibility service — allows Flow to insert dictated text into apps

  • Display over other apps

  • Post notifications — required on Android 13+ so Flow can display its own status notifications and alerts. This is the standard runtime notification permission, not the special "Notification Access" permission used to read other apps' notifications.

  • Battery optimization disabled (recommended)

Tip: You can skip disabling battery optimization during setup, but we recommend it for full functionality. Accessibility service and "display over other apps" can't be skipped.

Note: Some Android manufacturers apply extra background restrictions. See Setup Wispr Flow on Android for device-specific instructions.

iOS 18.3 features

The following iPhone features require iOS 18.3 or later:

Lock Screen widget

A circular Wispr logo widget that opens a new note with dictation when tapped.

Control Center buttons

A toggle to start or stop Flow recording, and a shortcut that opens note creation directly. Add either or both.

Siri Shortcuts

Voice commands you can trigger with Siri:

  • "Take Flow note" / "Dictate with Flow": starts live dictation that can be saved as a note.

  • "Quick dictate with Flow" / "Dictate to clipboard with Flow": dictates to the clipboard only (does not create a note).

  • "Quick Flow note" / "Save Flow note": takes a typed or spoken note as a parameter and saves it hands-free without opening the app.

  • "Open Flow note" / "Create Flow note" / "Create note with Flow": opens the app to a new note.

  • "Turn on off Flow": toggles Flow recording on or off.

  • "Quick dictate to notes with Flow" / "Save note with Flow": dictates live audio and saves it to notes.

Spotlight Search

Your notes are indexed so you can find them from the iOS search screen and tap a result to open and edit it.

FAQs

Why won't Flow install on my device?

Confirm your device meets the requirements above. On Mac, make sure you're downloading the version that matches your processor (Apple Silicon or Intel).

What do I do if my operating system version isn't supported?

Flow requires macOS 11+, Windows 10+, iOS 18.3+, or Android 13+. Update your OS to use Flow.

Flow opens, but I can't enable microphone access. What should I check?

Check your system's privacy settings to confirm apps can request microphone permissions. On managed devices, an administrator may need to allow mic access.

Why isn't my device microphone detected?

Make sure your mic works in another app first. If it does, restart Flow and confirm the correct input device is selected in Flow's settings.

Why aren't the Lock Screen widget, Siri Shortcuts, or Spotlight Search available on my iPhone?

These features require iOS 18.3 or later. Go to Settings → General → Software Update to check for an update. On managed devices, IT policy may also restrict some of these features.

Limitations and notes

  • iPad, Linux, Chromebooks, and virtual machines or remote desktop environments are not supported.

  • Devices running Android 12 or earlier are not supported — Wispr Flow for Android requires Android 13 or later.

  • Virtual microphones (e.g., from virtual audio cable software) are filtered from Flow's mic selection and may not work as input devices.

  • On iOS, note syncing, Spotlight indexing, and Siri shortcuts are disabled when Privacy Mode, HIPAA BAA, or Enterprise Zero Data Retention (ZDR) is active.

  • The Flow Bubble is automatically hidden in banking and financial apps. Text dictation is also unavailable in password fields and phone number inputs.

  • On Android, text dictation is unavailable in numeric input fields (including phone number inputs). Browser URL bars work normally in supported browsers (including Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, Brave, Samsung Browser, Vivaldi, DuckDuckGo, Kiwi, UC Browser, Yandex, and their variants). Notification reply boxes also work normally, and this extends to system dialogs where the keyboard is visible without a focused app.

Common issues

Android: Accessibility service crashes or stops working unexpectedly

Several related issues caused Flow's accessibility service to fail without warning — especially on Samsung devices, and on phones with aggressive battery savers (OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, and Transsion brands such as Tecno and Infinix). Symptoms included the app crashing, the Bubble appearing normal for up to 30 seconds before failing, or text insertion silently stopping. Fixed in v1.9.8 and later. The Flow Bubble shows a pulsing spinner while reconnecting or a warning triangle if access needs to be restored, and Flow sends a "Wispr Flow needs attention" notification when accessibility is revoked. Flow also auto-starts on device boot when accessibility is already enabled.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to v1.9.8 or later from the Google Play Store.

  2. Tap the warning triangle on the Flow Bubble (or the notification) to open Accessibility Settings.

  3. Re-enable Wispr Flow in the accessibility service list.

  4. Exclude Flow from battery optimization. See Setup Wispr Flow on Android for device-specific instructions.

Android: Flow crashes or the Bubble disappears after microphone permission is revoked

Revoking microphone permission caused Flow to crash in a loop, and a related timing issue could shut down the background service and remove the Flow Bubble entirely if permission was revoked at startup. Fixed in the latest version — the Flow Bubble now stays visible in a limited mode (recording is paused) so you can re-grant permission without restarting the app.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Google Play Store.

  2. Tap the Flow Bubble to start dictation; this launches the in-app microphone permission prompt.

  3. Grant microphone access when prompted. The Bubble will resume recording normally.

Android: Flow Bubble doesn't appear after enabling the accessibility service

The Flow Bubble did not start reliably after the accessibility service was enabled. Fixed in the latest version. Updating also resolves a related issue where the Flow Bubble could flicker or behave erratically when tapping into a text field.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Google Play Store.

  2. Restart Flow after updating.

iOS: Wispr Flow doesn't appear under Microphone in iPhone Settings

The app did not prompt for microphone permission at the right time, so it never appeared in iOS Microphone settings. Fixed in the latest version — Flow now requests microphone access as soon as you start dictating.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the App Store.

  2. Tap Start Flow to trigger the microphone permission prompt.

  3. Tap Allow when iOS asks for microphone access. If you previously denied it, tap Open Settings in the alert and enable Microphone for Wispr Flow.

Windows: Microphone list is blank or mic privacy is incorrectly reported as disabled

Two Windows-only issues were introduced in an earlier version and fixed in a later update: existing Windows users saw an empty microphone selection dialog in settings, and some users were told their microphone privacy was off and dictation was blocked even though system settings allowed mic access. The false privacy warning most commonly affected users with Dell Optimizer, MDM/GPO management, or third-party privacy software.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

  2. Restart Flow after updating.

Still need help?

Most install and compatibility questions are resolved in one reply. Reach out to support — including your platform, OS version, and device model — if:

  • Your device meets the requirements but Flow won't install or launch

  • Flow can't detect your microphone after you've checked permissions

  • You're not sure which version to download for your device