Supported devices and system requirements

Last updated: September 9, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

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

System requirements by platform

Mac

Operating system: macOS 12 (Monterey) or later.

  • Processor: Apple Silicon or Intel-based Mac

  • Memory: 8 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 500 MB available

  • Microphone: Built-in or supported external mic; selectable in Flow's settings (desktop only)

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access

  • Accessibility access — lets Flow type text for you

  • Screen recording access (optional) — not requested during setup; macOS prompts you in System Settings if you use an optional feature that reads your screen

Important: Download the version matching your Mac's processor. The Intel version on an Apple Silicon Mac displays a message and quits — download the Apple Silicon version from wisprflow.ai before relaunching.

Note: In clamshell mode (lid closed), use an external microphone — the built-in mic is unavailable. Flow requests Microphone and Accessibility permissions during setup; revoke either later and Flow prompts you to re-enable it.

Enterprise deployment: A managed installer is available for macOS MDM tools, with a configuration profile that pre-grants Accessibility permission silently and cannot be removed by end users. Microphone access cannot be pre-granted — users are prompted on first use. A separate managed configuration sets auto-update frequency (auto, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly); changes apply after an app restart.

Windows

Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11.

  • Processor: x64 (64-bit) required. ARM-based Windows devices (Windows on ARM, Snapdragon) are not supported — Flow shows "Wispr Flow requires x64 architecture. Please use a compatible Windows device to continue." and quits.

  • Memory: 8 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 200 MB available

  • Microphone: Working built-in or external mic; selectable in Flow's settings (desktop only)

Required permissions: Microphone access, managed by Windows at the OS level. If Flow can't detect your microphone, open Windows Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable access. Flow's "Microphone access is disabled" notification has an "Open Settings" button that opens this page directly.

Notetaker requirements: Notetaker is more demanding than dictation and has its own minimums on Windows:

  • Operating system: Windows 10 or Windows 11

  • Memory: 16 GB RAM

  • Storage: 2 GB of free space

Important: These minimums are higher than the dictation requirements listed above. A PC that runs Flow dictation comfortably may still not meet the bar for Notetaker.

Enterprise deployment: Two installers are available — per-user for self-install and machine-wide for enterprise and MDM deployment. Silent install and uninstall are supported, and update frequency can be managed via a group policy setting or an included PowerShell script for script-based MDMs.

iOS

Supported devices: iPhone only, on iOS 18.3 or later.

  • Microphone: Built-in mic; iOS uses the system default and there is no in-app mic picker

  • 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

  • App Tracking Transparency (optional) — used for analytics

Note: Flow detects permission changes without a restart and re-checks Full Access and Microphone status whenever you return to the app. If you previously denied Microphone access, iOS will not re-prompt — enable it in iOS Settings.

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. The Flow Keyboard has no period or punctuation key; on 4.7" iPhones (SE 2nd and 3rd generation), a globe (🌐) button lets you switch to other installed keyboards.

Android

Supported devices: Smartphones on Android 13 – Android 16. Tablets and foldables may work but aren't officially optimized.

  • Microphone: Built-in mic; Android auto-detects it and there is no in-app mic picker

  • Memory: 6 GB or more recommended

  • Storage: Approximately 500 MB available

  • Accelerometer: Required for shake gesture support; devices without one can't install Flow from the Google Play Store

Required permissions:

  • Microphone access

  • Accessibility service — lets Flow insert dictated text into apps

  • Display over other apps

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

  • Battery optimization disabled (recommended)

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

Note: If the Accessibility service is revoked or stops working, Flow notifies you. "Wispr Flow needs attention — Re-enable accessibility for Wispr Flow to keep working" opens Flow's in-app accessibility repair screen; "Flow isn't responding — Tap to restart Wispr Flow" opens the app home screen with a restart option and doesn't require re-granting permission. With notifications off, the same messages appear as toasts. Flow reconnects automatically once you re-grant accessibility.

Note: Before the Accessibility Settings step, Android shows an "Accessibility Permissions Required" consent screen describing what context Flow reads and confirming that credit-card and password fields are blocked. On Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices, the battery-optimization step first opens the MIUI Autostart Manager; enable autostart and return to Flow, and the app forwards you to the Battery Details screen.

Note: Android has no in-app language selection or privacy/data toggle. Some manufacturers apply extra background restrictions — see Setup Wispr Flow on Android for device-specific instructions.

iOS 18.3 features

These iPhone features require iOS 18.3 or later:

Lock Screen widget

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

Control Center buttons

Two items you can add: a recording toggle, and a shortcut that opens Flow Notes.

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, without creating 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 and starts dictation automatically.

  • "Turn on off Flow": toggles recording on or off. Starts recording but not transcription — use "Take Flow note" or "Dictate with Flow" for full dictation.

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

Note: Dictation shortcuts behave as toggles — invoking one while a session is running stops recording and, where applicable, returns the transcript.

Spotlight Search

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

FAQs

Why won't Flow install on my device?

Confirm your device meets the requirements above. On Mac, download the version matching your processor (Apple Silicon or Intel).

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

Flow requires macOS 12+, 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?

Confirm your mic works in another app. If it does, restart Flow and select the correct input device in Flow's settings.

Mac note: Flow's detection of other apps using your microphone is most accurate on macOS 14.2 or later. On macOS 12–14.1, Flow recognizes only a limited set of apps (Zoom, Teams, Slack, Discord, FaceTime, Webex, Loom, Spotify, Skype) and can't detect browser-based calls — quit other conferencing apps and browser tabs manually before retrying.

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. On managed devices, IT policy may also restrict some of these features.

Limitations and notes

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

  • Devices whose name contains "(virtual)" are hidden from Flow's microphone picker unless they are the system default. Virtual audio cable software with different naming may still appear and may not work reliably.

  • On iOS, Spotlight indexing, new Siri shortcut donations, cloud note syncing, and AI note summaries are generally disabled when Privacy Mode is on or a HIPAA BAA is signed. Enterprise ZDR forces Privacy Mode on, with the same effect.

  • On iOS, Cloud Sync governs dictation cloud storage (transcripts, audio, and dictation history). If your organization enforces ZDR, Privacy Mode is forced on, Cloud Sync is forced off, and Auto-delete transcripts is forced on.

  • On Android, the Flow Bubble is hidden in known banking and financial apps, and dictation is unavailable in password, phone number, and numeric input fields.

  • On Android, context awareness (default ON, adjustable in Flow's settings) determines what screen text Flow reads to assist dictation. Flow never reads screen text from banking or financial apps, from Flow's own UI, or from browser URL/address bars, and ignores hint and placeholder text. Dictation into URL bars still works in supported browsers (Firefox, Edge, Opera, Opera Mini, Brave, Samsung Browser, Vivaldi, DuckDuckGo, Kiwi, UC Browser, Yandex, their variants, and generic Chromium-based browsers). Notification reply boxes work normally, including system dialogs where the keyboard is visible without a focused app.

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