Customize notification preferences by category

Last updated: May 14, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows. iOS has a single push notifications toggle instead of per-category controls.

If Flow's tips, milestones, or team updates are getting noisy, mute them by category. Suggestions, announcements, milestones, and team updates each have their own toggle — keep what matters, turn off what doesn't.

What it is

The Notifications section in Settings → System gives you a toggle for each notification category. Turning off a category mutes all notifications within it. All categories are enabled by default, and changes take effect immediately.

Warning: Critical notifications — including billing alerts and error messages — always appear regardless of your category settings.

Note: Notification preferences are saved locally on each device and do not sync — configure them separately on each machine.

When to use it

Use notification categories when you want to:

  • Mute tips and suggestions after you're comfortable with Flow

  • Turn off milestone celebrations while keeping feature announcements on

  • Manage team notifications separately from personal usage alerts

How it works in Flow

Overview

Flow groups notifications into categories you can toggle individually. Each category controls a related set of in-app and desktop notifications, and changes apply immediately on the device where you make them.

Notification categories

  • Suggestions: Tips about getting set up or improving how you use Flow.

  • Announcements: New features or capabilities.

  • Milestones: Word-count milestones, streaks, and referral activity.

  • Team updates: Team invitations, join requests, and other team activity. Only visible to enterprise users.

Key behaviors

  • Action button confirmation: Clicking an action button shows a brief checkmark, disables the button to prevent double-clicks, and closes the notification shortly after.

  • Shortcut names in notifications: Notifications referencing the Paste Last Text shortcut display your actual configured shortcut (default: Ctrl+Cmd+V on Mac, Alt+Shift+Z on Windows).

  • Dictating from notification reply boxes: The Flow Bubble appears in system notification reply boxes — for example, when you reply to a WhatsApp message from your notification shade — so you can dictate without opening the app.

  • File-tagging integration suggestion: A notification suggesting file-tagging integration appears in Cursor and Windsurf, not in other editors like VS Code.

  • Long-session text recovery: When a dictation session ends automatically at the 20-minute limit, a notification with a "Recover text" button appears. You also receive a warning 1 minute before the limit.

  • Post-onboarding reminder: If you try to start a dictation while the Wispr Flow app is in focus during the post-onboarding window, a reminder suggests dictating into another app instead.

  • Team invite welcome: When you accept a team invitation, a welcome notification appears in the desktop status window highlighting what you now have access to. It shows the name of the person who invited you (or "Your teammate" if the invite was automatic) and your team name. To avoid interrupting active dictation, this notification is held until about 15 seconds after your next dictation completes.

  • Team welcome variants: Users with an existing Stripe personal subscription that rolls into team billing see a notification about Teams features (team insights, team dictionary, and team snippets). Free users who haven't already used a team trial see a notification about another 2-week trial along with Teams features. Enterprise and RevenueCat subscribers do not receive a welcome variant.

Examples

Muting tips after getting comfortable with Flow

Scenario: You've used Flow for a few weeks and no longer need onboarding suggestions.

Action: Toggle off the Suggestions category in Settings → System → Notifications.

Result: Setup tips and usage suggestions stop appearing. Feature announcements and milestones remain active.

Keeping team activity but muting milestones

Scenario: You want to stay on top of team invitations and join requests, but you don't need streak or word-count celebrations.

Action: Toggle off Milestones and leave Team updates on.

Result: Streaks and referral pings stop appearing. Team invitations and join requests still come through.

FAQs

Where can I see past notifications?

Click the bell icon to open the notification center. It has two views — "New" (unread) and "Archived." Items on the New tab are automatically marked read 1 second after opening the panel. Use the triple-dot menu to "Mark all as read" or "Archive all."

Can I dictate a reply directly from a notification?

Yes. Tap or click into a system notification's reply field (such as WhatsApp's inline reply in the notification shade) and dictate as normal — the Flow Bubble appears automatically.

Why don't I see the Team updates category?

The Team updates category is only visible to enterprise account users. If your account isn't part of an enterprise organization, this toggle doesn't appear.

Can I mute billing alerts or error messages?

No. Critical notifications always appear and cannot be turned off.

Does muting a category delete past notifications?

No. Muting a category only prevents new notifications. Past notifications remain in your notification center.

Can I mute individual notifications instead of an entire category?

No. Notification preferences are managed at the category level only.

How do notifications work on iOS?

Per-category toggles aren't available on iOS. A single Push Notifications toggle in Settings → General controls all push notifications. A separate "Allow Live Activities" toggle controls whether real-time Flow activity appears on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island — tapping it redirects you to iOS system Settings, where the permission is managed.

Limitations and notes

  • Per-category toggles are available on Mac and Windows only. On iOS, a single Push Notifications toggle in Settings → General controls all push notifications, and a separate "Allow Live Activities" toggle controls Lock Screen and Dynamic Island activity (managed at the OS level).

  • Notification settings are stored locally and must be configured separately on each device.

  • The Team updates category is only visible to enterprise users.

  • During onboarding, most notifications are suppressed regardless of your category settings. Only essential notifications appear: permission alerts (microphone and accessibility), microphone hardware issues, helper app errors, and onboarding prompts.

  • Trial-expiration billing notifications always appear, even with Team updates turned off. Team-invite and team-request notifications, however, are part of the Team updates category and can be muted.

Still need help?

Reach out to our support team if:

  • A category toggle isn't muting the notifications it should

  • You're seeing notifications you've turned off, and they aren't on the "always appear" list above

  • A notification's action button (such as "Recover text") doesn't work after updating

Include your platform, app version, and the category or notification involved. Most issues are resolved in one reply.