Retry failed transcriptions

Desktop (Mac and Windows)

Audio storage: Audio is saved to your history when recording ends and stays available for retry. If an optional compressed copy can't be created, only that copy is skipped — your recording remains fully playable.

When transcription fails: A notification titled "Something's not right" appears with the body "Transcript failed to load. You can always recover it from History." and two buttons:

• Retry — recovers and pastes the transcript from your saved data.

• Open History — opens the Hub home page, where you can retry later.

If transcription is slow, a "Taking longer than usual… Your audio is saved for retrying" notification appears; its Don't show again button dismisses it permanently across sessions.

When paste fails: If transcription succeeded but Flow couldn't paste into your target app, Flow writes the transcript to your clipboard and notifies you so you can paste it manually.

When there is no transcription text at all, Flow shows "Click a textbox and use {{shortcut}} to paste", where {{shortcut}} is your Paste Last Text shortcut — Cmd+Ctrl+V on Mac, Shift+Alt+Z on Windows — not the OS clipboard shortcut. This notification writes nothing to the clipboard.

Other error notifications:

• "No internet connection": Check your network and try again.

• "Is your microphone muted?" or "We couldn't hear you": Names the mic that had the issue and includes Select microphone and Troubleshoot.

• "Microphone disconnected": Click Insert to recover partial text transcribed before the disconnect.

• "Unable to access mic": Click Restart App and try again.

• "No microphone detected": No connected microphone was found. Click Open Sound Settings (Windows: Sound Control Panel → Recording; Mac: System Settings → Sound → Input).

• "Selected microphone is unavailable": Your previously selected mic was disconnected. Click Choose Microphone to pick another.

• "Microphone unavailable": Another app may be using your microphone, or your audio driver needs attention. Click Troubleshoot.

• "Microphone error": An unexpected problem occurred accessing your microphone. Click Troubleshoot.

• "Microphone access is disabled" (Windows): Microphone privacy is disabled in Windows Settings; click Open Settings. The Mac equivalent is "Microphone Permission Required" with Grant Permission.

Retrying from history:

• Failed transcripts: On the Hub home page, failed transcripts show a clickable Retry link followed by descriptive text (for example, "Retry" then "your [duration] transcription"). This inline link appears only for recordings at least 5 seconds long and less than 14 days old.

• Menu option: All transcripts have Retry transcript in the ⋯ menu; longer recordings show an estimated wait time during retry.

• Download audio: Download the original audio from the same menu; it's greyed out for recordings older than 14 days.

• Dismissed transcripts: These show a Recover link instead of Retry, with no 5-second minimum.

iOS

Audio storage: Audio is saved to your device as you record, regardless of network connection. With Auto-delete transcripts off, audio persists until you delete it manually.

Error messages during onboarding dictation steps (not the regular Flow Keyboard), shown at the top of the screen:

• "Oops, we didn't hear you.. Get closer to your mic and try again!": No audio was picked up. Move closer to your mic and tap the mic again.

• "Poor connection! Tap the mic to try again": Check your connection and tap the mic to retry.

• "Your mic is being used by another app. Close other apps and try again!": Close other apps and tap the mic.

• "Enable microphone access to use Flow": Grant Flow microphone access in your device settings.

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

States in the regular Flow Keyboard after a dictation error:

• Any error (server, cancelled, network, or audio-capture failure): An orange triangle warning icon appears next to the mic button. Tap it for a dropdown showing what went wrong and your options.

• Server or cancelled errors: The dropdown says your text is saved but transcription didn't complete, with Dismiss to clear the warning or Retry to re-submit the saved audio.

• Network errors: The dropdown says no audio was received and to try again, with only Dismiss — dictate again once you're back online.

• Audio-capture start failures (for example, swiping away immediately after launch, another app holding the mic, or an active phone call): The dropdown shows "Couldn't start audio capture. Tap the mic to try again, or quit and reopen the Flow app if it keeps happening." with only Dismiss, because no audio was recorded.

• Successful dictation, silent audio, or very short accidental taps: The keyboard resets to the microphone icon.

Transcription Error modal: For certain error types, iOS also shows a full-keyboard Transcription Error modal with a subtitle describing the error source (audio, network, microphone, processing, or permission denied) and a Retry button. Dismiss it by dragging down or tapping the X.

How to retry:

• Keyboard toolbar: Tap the orange triangle icon. For server or cancelled errors, tap Retry. For network errors or audio-capture failures, tap Dismiss, then tap the mic to start a fresh dictation.

• History: Retry a past transcription from your history; the updated transcript appears as soon as the retry completes. Failed rows with no text also show an inline retry button (circular arrow icon).

• Swipe, long-press, or tap: Swiping left on a history row reveals up to three actions — Report/feedback, Retry, and (if the row has text) Copy. The long-press context menu also offers retry. Tapping a row retries only when it has no text; tapping a row with text copies it to the clipboard.

Android

Audio storage: Audio is saved to your device as you record. When transcription fails, the audio file is saved with a "transcription failed" status and a toast appears: "Failed to transcribe. Saved in the app."

How to retry: The Flow Bubble shows different options depending on what went wrong:

• Transcription failed: Tap Retry on the bubble to re-send the saved audio, or tap the Wispr icon to start a fresh dictation. If your login session had expired, Flow refreshes it automatically and retries. If the audio file is no longer available, the bubble returns to its ready state.

• Text insertion failed: Flow retries insertion automatically a few times, then copies your text to the clipboard and shows a Paste action button (checkmark icon). Tap Paste to re-attempt insertion, tap the Wispr icon to dismiss the error while keeping your text on the clipboard, or long-press in any text field and select Paste.

The error bubble auto-dismisses after a short period of inactivity, with the timer paused during a retry; after dismissal it returns to its ready state if a text field is focused, or hides otherwise.

Retries after a connectivity loss track how the original dictation was started — for example, Push-to-Talk or Press Once — so your usage history stays accurate.

Retry from the home screen: Failed transcription cards show Retry Transcript in the ⋯ menu. If retry fails there, a message explains why: audio file missing, audio file not found, or a general retry failure.

Retrying after a network drop on desktop

You finish dictating a long paragraph, but your Wi-Fi briefly drops and a failure notification appears. Click Retry — Flow re-sends the saved audio and inserts the transcribed text.

Retrying after a server error on iOS

You finish dictating and see the orange triangle icon in the Flow Keyboard toolbar. Tap it — the dropdown says your text is saved but transcription didn't complete. Tap Retry; Flow re-submits your saved audio and inserts the text.

Retrying from history on iOS

A dictation fails in an area with no signal. Once back online, open your transcription history, find the failed entry, and tap Retry. The original audio is re-submitted and the result appears in your history.

Recovering text when insertion fails on Android

A transcription succeeds but the text can't be inserted into the target app, even after automatic retries. Flow copies the text to your clipboard and shows a Paste action button. Tap Paste to re-attempt insertion, or long-press in any text field and select Paste.

What happens if I lose internet while dictating?

Your audio is still recorded and saved locally, and Flow tries again automatically when the dictation ends. If that fails, retry from your history once you're back online.

Is my audio stored permanently?

No. On desktop, audio is cleaned up after 14 days — the transcript text remains, but the audio can't be retried. On iOS, audio persists until manually deleted or removed by Auto-delete transcripts. On Android, older audio files are removed automatically when storage runs low.

Can I retry from my transcription history?

Yes, on all platforms. On desktop, use Open History in the error notification. On iOS and Android, failed transcriptions are accessible from your history or home screen.

What if the app crashes during a dictation?

On desktop, audio recorded up to that point is saved and available for retry from your history. On mobile, it's available for retry if the audio was already written to your device before the crash.

I see a microphone error instead of a transcription error — can I still retry?

No. Microphone errors mean no audio was recorded. Resolve the issue using the notification's action button (Open Sound Settings, Choose Microphone, or Troubleshoot), then start a new dictation.

On iOS, what does the orange triangle icon mean in the keyboard?

It appears next to the mic button whenever a dictation fails. Tap it for a dropdown explaining what went wrong and your available actions.

On Android, what happens if I don't interact with the error bubble?

It dismisses itself after a short period of inactivity. You can still retry from the home screen via the ⋯ menu on any failed transcription card.

On Android, what happens if my login session expires while I'm dictating?

Flow refreshes your login automatically and retries — you don't need to sign back in. If your session can't be refreshed (for example, your account credentials changed), you may be signed out and prompted to log in again.