Fix a microphone that is silent or unavailable

Last updated: September 25, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS and Android.

If dictation captures silence, warns that it can't hear you, or loses its microphone, work through your platform below and test a short phrase after each change.

Quick checks

  • Hardware mute: Look for a switch on your headset, keyboard or laptop.

  • Surroundings: Move closer to the microphone and reduce background noise.

  • Test outside Flow: Record a short clip in Voice Memos on Mac/iPhone or Sound Recorder on Windows. Silence or distortion there points to the microphone or system setup, not Flow.

Mac and Windows

1. Allow access

Mac: Microphone Permission Required

Grant Permission prompts for first-time access; otherwise it opens privacy settings, which denied or restricted access can also open automatically.

  1. Click Grant Permission.

  2. Allow the prompt, or enable Flow in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

Windows: Microphone access is disabled

Both microphone switches must be on.

  1. Click Open Settings.

  2. Enable Microphone access and Let desktop apps access your microphone.

2. Test the input

  1. Open Flow's Settings → General → Microphone → Change. The dialog starts a live test; switching inputs restarts it.

  2. Select your microphone by name. A microphone that can't be used is dimmed and un-clickable with an alert icon, such as "Laptop lid is closed" for a built-in microphone.

  3. Speak and watch the level indicator; only the selected microphone shows levels.

  4. Close the dialog, which stops the test, then dictate. If the level never moved, open the accordion below.

If input stays silent

Watch the input meter in your system sound settings — Mac: System Settings → Sound → Input; Windows: Settings → System → Sound → Input. Select the intended microphone, speak, and raise a low input level without constantly reaching maximum.

Compare a built-in or wired microphone with Bluetooth. A closed MacBook needs an external microphone, and a wireless receiver can capture silence when its transmitter is out of range. AirPods may start slowly and produce more dictation errors.

Releasing the shortcut too quickly can trigger a no-audio notice; dictate again.

3. Restart Flow

Note: Dismissing the recording bubble can leave dictation running; stop it explicitly to release the microphone.

Restart Flow after changing permission. For "Unable to access mic," use Restart App; otherwise:

  1. Quit Flow from the menu-bar menu on Mac or the system-tray menu on Mac and Windows.

  2. Reopen Flow and dictate. If Flow cancels a start while recovering microphone access, trigger dictation again.

4. Check saved audio

  1. Stop any active dictation.

  2. Play the affected recording in History, if available. After quitting mid-recording, check History on reopening for saved-audio recovery.

Clear speech with missing or wrong text points to transcription: retry missing text. Missing or silent audio needs the capture checks above. Retry is blocked during dictation or while the same recording is being retried, and missing stored audio produces an audio-unavailable message.

What each desktop warning means

Select microphone and Choose Microphone open Flow's picker; Troubleshoot opens this article in your browser.

Warning

Action

No microphone detected

Opens Sound Settings — Mac Sound → Input, Windows Sound → Recording — not privacy settings.

Selected microphone is unavailable

Choose Microphone → a connected input.

Is your microphone muted? / We couldn't hear you

Check mute and levels; use Select microphone or Troubleshoot.

No audio received / Microphone is not working

Stop dictation; use Select microphone if offered, or Contact us.

Microphone unavailable

Close other apps using the microphone; Flow does not identify which app holds it.

Microphone error

Reconnect the microphone; contact support if it recurs.

Microphone disconnected

Insert retries saved audio and pastes recovered text into the focused field.

Unplugging the microphone during dictation stops recording, except during testing. Silence warnings clear when audio returns; "Unable to access mic" clears when access succeeds.

5. Support-guided reset

Warning: Reset only if advised by Flow support. Reset deletes local data — save anything you need first, because only content already synced to your account can return. Dictionary, stats and settings re-sync on restart.

  1. Open Settings → System → Data → Reset app → Reset & restart. Learn more, beside Reset app, opens the reset guide.

  2. Confirm Reset & restart; Flow restarts automatically.

iPhone

Keyboard dictation requires Full Access, which Flow checks first, and microphone permission, which only the main app can request.

  1. Enable Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Flow → Allow Full Access. No restart is needed.

  2. Start dictation in the main Flow app if Flow is missing from microphone settings.

  3. Choose Allow when prompted. If access was denied, enable iOS Settings → Flow → Microphone, then reopen Flow.

Permission alerts can also appear during dictation. After Go to Settings from the keyboard's permission message, you can return straight to the keyboard.

Capture failure

"Can't turn on Flow right now" means another app is using the microphone.

Warning: Audio that was never captured cannot be recovered; retrying here starts a new recording.

  1. Close the call or other app holding the microphone.

  2. Retry using the offered action, or dismiss the error and tap the mic to start fresh.

If capture repeatedly fails, quit and reopen Flow, and avoid swiping it away immediately after launch.

Captured audio, missing text

Retry saved audio from History (row action or swipe), "Tap to retry," or keyboard Error options when available. Capture and network errors offer only Dismiss there: start fresh for capture errors, and use History for saved audio.

After Flow closes mid-dictation, opening History can automatically retry the latest unfinished, textless recording once it is over two minutes old and nothing is recording.

Calls, Siri or input changes

Connecting or disconnecting an input requires a manual restart. An audio-route override does not stop recording while the built-in microphone is selected.

Captured speech is still processed. After an interruption or duration-limit stop with the keyboard off-screen, History saves the transcript and a notification points to it instead of pasting.

Android

Once onboarding is complete and overlay access is granted, the bubble stays available without microphone permission, including after you revoke it; dictation then requests permission.

  1. Select Allow Microphone on the "We can't hear you" card.

  2. Grant access in the prompt, or under Permissions if permanent denial opens Flow's Android app settings. The microphone sheet over other apps offers Go to Settings.

  3. Return to Flow; granting permission clears the card. A full restart may be needed after changing previously denied permissions.

If capture still fails, compare the built-in or wired microphone with Bluetooth, reconnect Bluetooth if needed, and retry after a microphone-read failure.

Missing bubble or text

Swipe the setup cards for overlay access, Accessibility, battery restrictions, a disabled bubble or snooze, and follow Android setup. The battery card excludes manufacturer-specific restrictions, which you configure separately.

After Turn Back On or End snooze now, focus a text box. For "Flow isn't responding," use Restart Flow rather than granting Accessibility again.

Repair bubble

Repair appears only with a focused text field after recording or processing ends. Tap the retry icon to restart Flow, or the warning triangle for Accessibility permission instructions; the reconnecting loader cannot be tapped, so wait. Repair cancels and blocks snooze until it is resolved.

Network or transcription failure

"No internet. Try again later." blocks new dictation; reconnect before retrying saved audio.

After "Failed to transcribe. Saved in the app.", Retry resends saved audio. Without that message, Retry only restores the bubble — start a new dictation.

Still need help?

If capture still fails, contact support — on desktop, use Help → Get in touch → Talk to support. Include your OS, microphone model, the exact message, whether another app records correctly, and what you tried.