Keyboard and Screen Reader Accessibility in Wispr Flow

Last updated: September 8, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Drive Wispr Flow without a mouse, use it with VoiceOver, NVDA, JAWS, or TalkBack, and let it follow your system's reduced motion setting. These features are on by default — no setup needed.

How it works in Flow

Keyboard navigation

  • Tab: Move focus between interactive elements.

  • Space or Enter: Activate the focused item.

  • Escape: Close menus, cancel a Flow Bar drag in progress, and return focus to the previous element.

  • Opt+↑ / Opt+↓ (Mac) or Alt+↑ / Alt+↓ (Windows): Move between pages in the Hub sidebar.

  • Cmd+/ (Mac) or Ctrl+/ (Windows): Open the feedback dialog (not while typing in a text field).

  • Cmd/Ctrl+Enter: Submit text-entry dialogs.

  • Escape (search fields): Clear and collapse the search field. Enter/↓ and Shift+Enter/↑ move between in-content matches with a current/total counter.

Note: On Mac, an app with Secure Keyboard Entry active (for example, Slack, Terminal, or any app with a focused password field) blocks Flow's shortcuts, including fn+space and Escape-to-cancel. Hold-to-talk still works. See Fixing blocked shortcuts on Mac below.

Flow Bar docking

Drag the Flow Bar to reposition it: three drop zones appear inset from the bottom, left, and right edges. Release on a zone to snap the bar there, or press Escape during the drag to leave it in place. Flow remembers the position across app launches. Docked left or right, the bar reorients vertically and its contents reflow to fit.

Note: Repositioning the Flow Bar requires a mouse drag; keyboard-only repositioning is not supported.

Screen reader support

Flow is tested with VoiceOver (Mac), NVDA and JAWS (Windows), and TalkBack (Android).

  • Interactive elements: States are announced (expanded, collapsed, disabled), with loading states announced as "Loading."

  • Navigation landmarks: Main and secondary navigation regions convey page structure, and the active page is announced.

  • Focus management: Logical reading order is maintained throughout the app; decorative images are hidden from screen readers.

  • Dialogs: Dialogs trap Tab/Shift+Tab, move focus in on open, and restore it on close. Clicking the dimmed backdrop dismisses a dialog. Onboarding coach-mark overlays are announced as dialogs ("Coach mark") and move focus to the card.

  • Animated text: Phrases that animate word-by-word — such as the onboarding "Nice job!" heading and status-notification CTA labels — are announced as one complete phrase.

  • Help menu: The Help button announces its expanded or collapsed state, the panel is announced as a dialog, and menu items are keyboard-focusable only when the menu is open.

  • Hub tooltips: Auto-dismiss on their own.

  • iOS pickers: The writing style pill announces "Writing style" as its label and the active style as its value; language rows announce their selected state. The pill appears only when writing styles are set up and no other keyboard affordance (dictionary prompt, error message, stats notification) is showing.

Reduced motion

Flow follows your system's reduced motion preference automatically, minimizing the onboarding hold toast, the iOS keyboard's processing spinner (kept static), the switchback screen's swipe-hint animation, and desktop coach-mark overlay transitions.

  • Mac: System Settings → Accessibility → Display → enable Reduce Motion.

  • Windows: Settings → Accessibility → Visual effects → turn off Animation effects.

  • iOS: Settings → Accessibility → Motion → enable Reduce Motion.

Platform-specific behaviors

Android

Android screens are optimized for TalkBack, on-screen keyboards, and background process management.

  • Accessibility setup guide: Flow always shows the setup guide, falling back to plain system Settings where the guided experience isn't supported. The guide appears as a looping video or a static image; only the static image carries a TalkBack description. Onboarding steps differ by manufacturer (extra step on Xiaomi; different step-1 wording on Samsung, Vivo, Motorola).

  • Dictionary screen: Search, word list, add/edit/delete actions, and filter chips (enterprise users only) work with TalkBack; swipe-to-edit and swipe-to-delete icons have labels.

  • Bottom navigation bar: The Home, Dictionary, Snippets, and Style tabs stay in place while you scroll and never cover list content or system navigation buttons. TalkBack announces each tab label once on focus.

  • Back button behavior: On the main Dashboard, back first closes the navigation drawer if open. With the drawer closed on a non-home tab, the first back press dismisses the keyboard and the second returns you to Home. On Home, back dismisses the keyboard or exits the app.

  • Navigation drawer: Opening the drawer hides the on-screen keyboard to prevent overlap.

  • Flow Bubble visibility: The bubble appears when your on-screen keyboard opens and disappears when it closes; with an external keyboard it does not appear. It shrinks in search fields and repositions after rotating to landscape.

  • Keyboard handling: In edit mode, the Done button and list fade stay above the on-screen keyboard, and snooze state is preserved when the keyboard opens.

  • Shake to unsnooze: Shaking your device while Flow is snoozed unsnoozes it immediately.

  • Auto-start after device boot: Flow starts on boot as long as accessibility permission is enabled.

  • Connection and permission recovery: The Flow Bubble signals a dropped accessibility connection or revoked permission (pulsing spinner = reconnecting; warning triangle = needs attention); tap the triangle to open the accessibility permission screen. Flow restarts itself after a force-stop and retries text insertion when the connection to a text field is lost. Revoking microphone permission leaves Flow running with the bubble visible — tap it to re-grant access without restarting.

iOS

The Flow Keyboard on iOS includes these behaviors:

  • Writing style picker: Tap the style pill next to the mic to open a standard iOS menu of available styles; a checkmark marks the selected style.

  • Swipe back to activate mic: When Flow can't automatically return you to your previous app, it shows a "Flow is on" screen with the instruction "Swipe right across the bottom edge to continue." You can start dictating right away.

  • First-launch intro video (some users): Some new iOS installs see an intro with a short demo video before "Get Started" appears. With Reduce Motion enabled, or if the video can't load, the video is skipped and "Get Started" stays available immediately.

Examples

Navigating the Help menu with the keyboard

You do: Press Tab to the Help icon, press Space or Enter to open the menu, Tab through the options, and press Enter to select.

Result: Each option receives focus in sequence. Press Escape to close the menu and return focus to the Help button.

Using Flow with VoiceOver on Mac

You do: Enable VoiceOver (Cmd+F5) and navigate to the Flow Bar.

Flow announces: Navigation landmarks, interactive element states, and the active page.

Editing a writing style with TalkBack on Android

You do: Open the Styles screen, use the category picker to browse style groups, and tap a style to open the editing sheet.

Flow announces: The sheet header with Cancel and Save buttons. Swipe to Save and double-tap to apply, or swipe to Cancel to discard changes.

Docking the Flow Bar to the side of your screen

You do: Drag the Flow Bar and release it on the left or right drop zone.

Result: The bar snaps to that edge in a vertical layout. Press Escape during the drag to cancel.

Fixing blocked shortcuts on Mac

While another app has Secure Keyboard Entry active, Flow's shortcuts are blocked system-wide and only hold-to-talk works. If the block persists, Flow shows a notification naming the blocking app.

  1. Quit the app named in the notification, or switch away from it.

  2. Check for a focused password field in your frontmost app and click away from it.

  3. Log out and back in to your Mac if the block persists after switching apps.

The notification clears once the block is released and your shortcuts resume working.

FAQs

Can I use keyboard navigation alongside voice input?

Yes. Keyboard navigation and voice-to-text work independently, so you can navigate the interface with shortcuts while dictating.

The Help menu isn't closing when I press Escape. What should I do?

Tab to the Help menu so it has focus, then press Escape. If it still doesn't close, click elsewhere in the app to dismiss it.

Can I reposition the Flow Bar using only the keyboard?

No. Docking requires a mouse drag, and screen readers do not announce the drop zones. See Flow Bar docking above.

Why do I see a warning about accessibility shortcuts on Android?

During Android onboarding, Flow warns you not to enable the system accessibility shortcut. If it's already enabled, an error screen appears with an "Open settings" button. Turn the shortcut off and onboarding resumes automatically.

What is the Repair bubble on Android, and why won't it go away?

It appears when Flow's accessibility permission is missing or disconnected, and stays until you restore it. Tap the bubble to open accessibility settings. Snooze is unavailable while it's in this state.

Limitations and notes

  • Tested screen readers: VoiceOver (Mac), NVDA and JAWS (Windows), and TalkBack (Android). Others are untested.

  • Flow Bar docking: The three drop zone targets are visual only.

  • Hub top bar and stats bar: The sidebar toggle, account panel, and notifications controls are not yet keyboard-accessible, and the streaks, words, and WPM stats bar cannot be focused with Tab or activated with Enter.

  • Collapsed sidebar: The hover tooltip is mouse-only and does not appear on keyboard focus. Item labels remain available to screen readers.

  • Tab controls: Tab controls throughout the app (for example, Stats dialog tabs) are not yet keyboard-navigable or properly announced, the Settings sidebar navigation lacks keyboard accessibility, and disabled tabs (for example, "Coming soon") are only visually indicated.

  • Icon-only buttons: Some icon-only buttons (for example, Dictionary search and sort) lack accessible labels. Icon-button toggles do not announce on/off state, and loading buttons do not set a busy state.

  • Help menu focus: Clicking outside the Help menu closes it but does not return focus to the Help button. Press Escape instead.

  • Dropdown menus: No arrow-key navigation and no focus trap — items are reachable only by Tab, and the menu renders at the end of the page, so tab order may not follow the trigger.

  • Coach-mark overlays: Cannot be dismissed with Escape; click the backdrop instead.

  • Closed dialog accessibility: A closed dialog's contents remain in the accessibility tree.

  • Android Styles screen: Cancel and Save in the editing sheet may not be announced as standard buttons by TalkBack, and the Save button's disabled state is not communicated to accessibility services.

  • Android accessibility shortcut error screen: The alert icon has a non-descriptive label ("Image") for TalkBack users.

  • Android back button behavior: The predictable back button behavior applies to the main Dashboard screen only.

  • Android version requirement: Wispr Flow requires Android 13 or later.

  • Android Flow Bubble connection recovery: Most relevant on Samsung One UI 6 and devices with aggressive battery or deep sleep management. The pulsing bubble is not tappable during automatic reconnection, and the indicator is hidden while you are dictating.

  • Android Repair bubble: Stays visible until accessibility is restored — changing focus, typing, or shaking the device will not dismiss it. Attempting to snooze it shows: "Snooze is unavailable while accessibility needs attention."

  • Android microphone permission recovery: Available on Android 14 and later. If microphone permission is revoked, dictation pauses but the Flow Bubble and re-grant prompt remain visible; dictation resumes once you restore permission — no restart required.

  • Android auto-start on boot: Requires accessibility permission. If accessibility is disabled at boot time, open the app and re-enable accessibility when prompted.

  • Swipe back screen: The "Flow is on" switchback screen animations honor your iOS Reduce Motion setting.

  • New iOS intro screens: Some new installs see a redesigned first-launch intro with a demo video. This is rolling out to a portion of new users; existing users are not affected.