How to Set Up Flow Shortcuts for iPhone

Action Button — guided setup (iPhone 15 Pro and later)

After you complete a few dictations totaling 50+ words on a compatible device, a "Flow faster with a shortcut" card appears in the keyboard. Once you dismiss it, the keyboard card won't reappear. A similar card can also appear on the Flow home screen, where it may show up to 3 times.

1. Tap Set up on the card, then tap Let's go! on the intro screen.

2. Watch the demo video, then tap Try now.

3. Add the Flow shortcut when prompted, then map it to your Action Button by following the on-screen video guide through iPhone Settings.

4. Return to Flow when prompted.

5. Switch to the Flow keyboard: tap a text field, then use the globe key to select it.

6. Test the shortcut by dictating into the in-app test field that appears. Tap Skip to bypass testing.

7. Tap Finish on the completion screen, or tap Learn More for details on Action Button shortcuts.

Action Button — manual setup (iPhone 15 Pro and later)

Use this if you missed the in-keyboard prompt or prefer to set it up directly in iOS Settings.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Action Button.

3. Swipe through the options until you reach Shortcuts.

4. Tap the selection area under Shortcuts.

5. Select the Flow shortcut you want to assign.

6. Press and hold the Action Button to test it. You'll feel a haptic tap when dictation starts.

Back Tap

Trigger Flow by tapping the back of your iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Go to Accessibility → Touch.

3. Scroll down and tap Back Tap.

4. Choose Double Tap or Triple Tap.

5. Scroll to the Shortcuts section and select your Flow shortcut.

6. Test by double- or triple-tapping the back of your iPhone. Dictation starts immediately.

Control Center

Flow provides two Control Center widgets: a recording toggle and a Flow Notes button.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Tap Control Center.

3. Find the Flow widgets under More Controls.

4. Tap the + icon to add them to Control Center.

5. Swipe down from the top-right of your screen to open Control Center.

6. Tap a Flow widget to start recording or open Flow Notes.

Flow also shows a Live Activity on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island while dictating. From there, you can tap Stop to end dictation, open Flow Notes, or save a note in progress — without opening the app.

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues have been fixed. To resolve any of them, update Wispr Flow to the latest version and restart the app.

• "We can't hear you" error on first dictation: The first dictation after granting microphone access incorrectly showed a "We can't hear you" error and re-prompted for permission. New users can now dictate successfully right after granting access.

• Blank or flickering screen when launching from the keyboard: Switching from the iOS keyboard to the Flow app could show a blank white screen or a brief flash of stale content. Flow now shows a smooth loading screen, and the recording view appears only once microphone access is confirmed.

• Keyboard switchback screen on normal launches: Tapping the Flow app icon would sometimes show the swipe-back-to-dictate screen meant for keyboard-triggered launches. Regular app launches now open Flow normally.

• "Start Flow" button doesn't start dictation: Tapping Start Flow from the keyboard while the Flow app wasn't running in the background left the button visible. Tapping Start Flow now reliably starts dictation.

• Quick Dictation to Notes ignored the Flow keyboard: The shortcut fell back to generic behavior instead of inserting text into the current text field when the Flow keyboard was active. It now inserts text directly into the active field.

• Wispr Flow missing under Microphone in iOS Settings: Flow wouldn't appear in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone if it had never explicitly requested access. Flow now requests microphone permission before starting a recording session, so it appears in the list after first use.

What Siri voice commands work with Flow shortcuts?

• Dictate a Flow Note: "take Flow note" or "dictate with Flow"

• Quick Dictation to Clipboard: "quick dictate with Flow" or "dictate to clipboard with Flow"

• Quick Dictation to Notes: "quick dictate to notes with Flow" or "save note with Flow"

• Turn On/Off: "turn on off Flow" to toggle recording

• Open Flow Notes: "open Flow note", "create note with Flow", or "create Flow note"

• Save Flow Note: "save Flow note" or "quick Flow note" — Siri asks what the note should say, then saves it without opening the app

Where does dictated text go when I use a shortcut?

It depends on the shortcut and context:

• Dictate a Flow Note: When the Flow keyboard is active, text is inserted directly into the current text field. Otherwise, the transcript is returned as a Shortcuts result and saved as a Flow note.

• Quick Dictation to Clipboard: Returns the transcript as a Shortcuts result, and the default shortcut copies it to your clipboard. When the Flow keyboard is active, text is inserted directly into the current text field instead.

• Quick Dictation to Notes: When the Flow keyboard is active, text is inserted directly into the current text field. When the keyboard is inactive, the transcript is saved as a note.

• Save Flow Note: Siri prompts you for the note content, then saves it without opening the app.

• Open Flow Notes: Opens the app to a new note and starts dictation automatically.

Why does iOS ask me to swipe back to Flow after activating a shortcut?

On iOS 26.4 or later, a guidance screen appears when activating a shortcut that switches apps. The first time, an alert titled "A quick change for iOS 26.4+" explains the swipe-back requirement — tap OK to dismiss it (it won't appear again). A "Swipe back to your app" screen may also appear each time; follow the "Swipe right on the bottom bar" prompt, or tap the X to close it.

The new guidance screen is rolling out gradually, and the exact look can vary slightly. Users not yet in the rollout will see the legacy automatic switch-back behavior instead.

Why do I see a "We can't hear you" prompt when tapping Start Flow or the microphone button?

Flow's microphone permission has been revoked in iOS Settings. Tap Open Settings on the prompt (or go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone) and re-enable access for Wispr Flow. You can also tap Retry on the audio failure screen to try again.

What do the error messages during setup dictation mean?

During onboarding, Flow shows a message at the top of the screen if a dictation attempt fails. Here's what each message means and what to do:

• "Oops, we didn't hear you. Get closer to your mic and try again!": Flow recorded silence or couldn't detect your voice. Move closer to your microphone and try again.

• "Poor connection! Tap the mic to try again": Transcription couldn't complete due to a network issue. Check your internet connection and tap the microphone button to retry.

• "Your mic is being used by another app. Close other apps and try again!": Another app is currently using your microphone. Close other open apps and tap the microphone button to try again.

• "Enable microphone access to use Flow": Flow doesn't have microphone permission. Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable access for Wispr Flow.

• "Oops, something went wrong. Tap the mic to try again!": An unexpected error occurred. Tap the microphone button to retry.