Troubleshooting mic issues

Mac

1. Grant microphone permission. If Flow shows a notification, click Allow. If you previously denied access, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and enable Flow. If it's already enabled, toggle it off and back on, then restart Flow.

2. Select your microphone by name: Flow menu bar icon → Settings → General → Microphone → Change. Choose your specific mic (avoid "Auto-detect"). The volume indicator next to your selection should move when you speak.

3. Test your microphone. Dictate a short phrase, then open Recent activity from the menu bar icon. If an entry appears but shows no text, click it and download the audio file. If you hear your voice clearly, the mic is working — continue to the next step.

4. Restart Flow: right-click the menu bar icon → Quit Wispr Flow, then reopen Flow and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

5. Reset the local database: Flow menu bar icon → Settings → System → Data → Reset & restart. Dictate a test phrase — if text appears, you're done.

Windows

1. Grant microphone permission. If Flow shows a notification that microphone privacy is disabled, click Open Settings and confirm desktop app access is enabled. If it's already enabled, toggle it off and back on, then restart Flow.

2. Select your microphone by name: Flow system tray icon → Settings → General → Microphone → Change. Choose your specific mic (avoid "Auto-detect"). The volume indicator next to your selection should move when you speak.

3. Test your microphone. Dictate a short phrase, then open Recent activity from the system tray icon. If an entry appears but shows no text, click it and download the audio file. If you hear your voice clearly, the mic is working — continue to the next step.

4. Restart Flow: right-click the system tray icon → Quit, then reopen Flow and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

5. Reset the local database: Flow system tray icon → Settings → System → Data → Reset & restart. Dictate a test phrase — if text appears, you're done.

iOS

1. Grant microphone permission. Flow asks the first time you start a dictation — tap Allow. If you previously denied access, a toast reads "Enable microphone access to use Flow": open the iOS Settings app → Flow → Microphone and turn it on. If it's already on, toggle it off and back on, then restart Flow. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

2. Use the built-in iPhone microphone, which gives the most reliable dictation. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

3. Configure a Bluetooth microphone (optional). Open Settings → Bluetooth and pair your device, then open Flow's iOS Settings and turn off the built-in mic setting. Dictate a test phrase — if text appears, you're done.

4. Retry failed transcriptions. Tap an empty transcript in history to retry automatically, or swipe left / long-press any transcript for a Retry option. After an error, a retry icon appears next to the keyboard's mic button — tap it to try again.

5. Recover from an audio capture error. If the keyboard shows "Couldn't start audio capture," tap the mic button to start a fresh dictation; if it keeps happening, quit the Flow app completely and reopen it. Common causes: another app holding the microphone (such as a phone or video call), or swiping away immediately after opening the app.

Android

1. Grant microphone permission. If you see a "We can't hear you" card on the home screen, tap Allow Microphone. If permission was previously denied, that button opens Flow's app settings page, where you can enable Microphone manually. If it's already enabled, toggle it off and back on, then restart Flow. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

2. Use the built-in mic or a wired headset; Bluetooth microphones add connection delay and reduce accuracy. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

3. Configure a Bluetooth microphone (optional). Open Settings → Connected devices → Bluetooth, pair your device, and make sure it's connected for calls or audio. Dictate a test phrase — if text appears, you're done.

4. Reconnect a Bluetooth mic that isn't being used. Open Settings → Connected devices, confirm the device is connected, then disconnect and reconnect it or toggle Bluetooth off and back on. Dictate again — if text appears, you're done.

Notetaker's "⋯" menu showed a Microphone option on a meeting that had already ended

The Microphone submenu appeared in a note's ⋯ (kebab) menu even after recording stopped. It now appears only while that meeting is actively recording, disappears when recording stops, and returns if you resume.

iOS keyboard showed a generic error when audio capture couldn't start

When audio capture can't start, the keyboard now shows: "Couldn't start audio capture. Tap the mic to try again, or quit and reopen the Flow app if it keeps happening." Because no audio was recorded, only Dismiss is offered, no Retry. Network and transcription failures still show the retryable error message.

Notetaker recorded silence after unplugging a USB mic or changing the system input device mid-meeting (Mac)

Changing your Mac's input device mid-meeting left Notetaker capturing from the old device and recording silence, and "Change system microphone…" had no effect on an in-progress recording. Notetaker now detects the change and switches to the new microphone, leaving only a brief audio gap.

Frequent "microphone quality is low" warnings with a normal microphone (Mac, Windows)

False positives fired the microphone quality notification multiple times per day even when your microphone worked correctly. This notification is now off by default.

iOS keyboard mic button briefly flashed a warning triangle after an error

After a failed, network-failed, or cancelled dictation, the mic button briefly showed a warning triangle. The mic button now stays visible so you can immediately start a new dictation, with error context beside it: a retry icon for general errors or cancelled dictations, a "Server is busy" message for server errors, and "Network error" text with a small warning-triangle button for network errors.

iOS keyboard showed "Audio was silent" when no speech was detected

A dictation that captured no speech displayed an "Audio was silent" warning with a warning icon. The keyboard now resets to the microphone button, the same as after a successful dictation.

iOS keyboard mic button became unresponsive after cancelling a dictation

Cancelling a dictation while the main Wispr Flow app closed in the background (most commonly in Low Power Mode) could leave the keyboard mic button stuck, recoverable only by tapping "Turn Off Recording." Tapping the mic button now restores the keyboard to a ready state; a second tap starts dictation.

First iOS dictation after opening the app failed with an error

The first dictation after a cold app launch could fail because the iOS audio system was not yet ready. Flow now retries transparently before showing any error.

iOS keyboard mic stuck, Start Flow didn't record, or Action Button started duplicate dictations

Several related iOS reliability issues were fixed:

• Keyboard mic button stuck after several dictations: Re-entering the keyboard view after back-to-back dictations could freeze the mic button, with each tap starting a duplicate dictation and inserting the same text twice. The keyboard now stays responsive across sustained use.

• Tapping "Start Flow" in the keyboard didn't begin recording: The handoff to the main app occasionally failed to auto-start recording on the first try; it now works reliably.

• Action Button, Shortcuts, or widget press did nothing after a cancelled dictation: These entry points could silently fail or fall out of sync so the next press did the opposite of what was expected. They now reflect the current recording state.

• First dictation after launch was slow or failed to start: It now starts faster and more reliably.

"Oops, we didn't hear you" appeared right after granting mic permission in iOS onboarding

iOS onboarding incorrectly recorded microphone permission as denied even after you tapped Allow, so the first dictation showed an "Oops, we didn't hear you" toast and prompted you to grant access again. New iOS users can now complete their first dictation immediately after granting permission.

Flow didn't ask for microphone permission on iOS, or didn't appear under iOS Microphone settings

Flow didn't explicitly request microphone access at the right time, and in some cases never appeared in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Flow now requests permission the first time you start a dictation. If access is denied, a toast reads "Enable microphone access to use Flow" — open the iOS Settings app → Flow → Microphone and turn it on.

Dictation attempt failed silently during iOS onboarding

Dictation during the "try it yourself" onboarding steps failed silently. Flow now shows a message at the top of the screen:

• Flow didn't hear anything: Move closer to your microphone and tap the mic button to retry.

• Poor connection: Check your internet connection and tap the mic button to retry.

• Microphone in use by another app: Close other apps and retry.

• Microphone permission not granted: Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone, enable Flow, and return to the app.

• Something else went wrong: A general fallback for unexpected errors. Tap the mic button to retry.

Dictation hotkey did nothing and the microphone test spun indefinitely (Mac, Windows)

The microphone could become unavailable in certain situations — for example, after restarting onboarding from Settings — making the hotkey fail silently and the microphone test spin without completing, requiring a full app restart. Flow now detects and recovers from this without a restart. You may notice a brief delay on your first push-to-talk press afterward.

Microphone test bars were always fully filled during setup or mic selection (Mac, Windows)

The audio level bars in onboarding and the microphone selection dialog appeared fully filled whether you spoke or not. They now reflect actual input — low or empty during silence, rising when you speak.

Microphone error shown during setup with no clear action to take (Mac, Windows)

The "Test your microphone" setup step showed only a generic toast: "Having trouble detecting microphone? Try restarting Flow." Flow now shows an error panel on the setup page with specific actions:

• Microphone access not granted: Click Open Settings to go to your system microphone permissions. Returning to Flow triggers an immediate retry.

• No microphone detected: Click Refresh devices to scan again, or Open Sound Settings for your system sound input settings.

• Microphone in use by another app: Close the conflicting app (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Discord, FaceTime), then use Open Sound Settings or Restart Flow.

• Selected microphone unavailable: Click Choose a different microphone to pick another input device.

• Other error: Click Restart Flow to restart the app and try again.

Flow retries automatically and dismisses the panel as soon as your microphone works.

Flow showed "Listening" then "Transcript failed to load" when the mic wasn't available (Mac, Windows)

Flow didn't detect microphone access failures early enough, showing the "Listening" bubble for a while and then a generic error. Flow now ends the session immediately and shows a specific notification:

• No microphone detected: No microphone is connected. Click Open Sound Settings.

• Selected microphone is unavailable: The microphone you selected is no longer connected. Click Choose Microphone.

• Microphone unavailable: Another app is using your microphone or the audio system needs a reset. Click Troubleshoot.

• Microphone error: A general fallback when Flow can't access your microphone for another reason. Click Troubleshoot.

Flow showed "Microphone is not working" or "No audio received" mid-dictation (Mac, Windows)

The microphone could stop mid-dictation — for example, from a macOS audio system issue or another app setting your input volume to zero. Flow now alerts you in two stages:

• After a short period of silence: The waveform in the status bubble goes flat and a "No audio received" notification appears with a Contact us action. It auto-dismisses.

• If silence continues: An escalated "Microphone is not working" notification reads "Your mic isn't picking up any audio. Stop and check your microphone settings," offering Select microphone and Contact us. It clears after a short time, or sooner if you stop or cancel the dictation.

If audio recovers on its own, the waveform resumes. A warning notification also fires shortly before the desktop session's hard stop.

Audio silently stopped capturing while Flow still showed "Listening" (Mac, Windows)

Audio capture could be interrupted — for example, after the system woke from sleep or during heavy background activity — while Flow still showed "Listening." Flow now recovers audio capture automatically during an active recording and is more resilient to wake-from-sleep events.

Microphone stayed on after the Flow bubble was hidden (Android)

Hiding the Flow bubble on Android could leave the microphone active. Hiding the bubble now immediately stops dictation and releases the microphone.

Microphone selection dialog was blank after a recent Windows upgrade

An upgrade issue left the microphone picker empty even though dictation sometimes still worked. The picker now populates correctly after upgrading.

Flow incorrectly said microphone privacy was disabled (Windows)

Flow read system settings that didn't reflect the actual microphone permission state — common on machines managed by IT policies, Dell Optimizer, or similar privacy tools. This false error no longer appears; the notification still appears when access is genuinely blocked.

Error message appeared after canceling or dismissing dictation (Mac, Windows)

Canceling or dismissing a session triggered an unexpected error message even though nothing had gone wrong. This is now resolved.

Activation or keyboard shortcuts stopped working or were delayed (Mac, Windows)

The activation, transform (Opt+S), or paste-last-text shortcut could feel delayed or unresponsive. This has been fixed in recent updates.

Clamshell warning appeared even though the MacBook lid was open (Mac)

Flow read outdated hardware information instead of the current state. Flow now monitors lid open/close, sleep/wake, and device connect/disconnect events in real time. If a clamshell warning does appear, any follow-up "No Audio" notification is briefly suppressed to prevent duplicate alerts.

Other bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues were fixed in recent versions:

• Mic was slow to activate after rapidly canceling and retrying (Mac, Windows): Activation could be delayed, and the microphone indicator light didn't turn off right away after canceling.

• Microphone stayed active after canceling dictation: The mic could remain on, with the indicator still visible.

• Waveform animation was unresponsive in the first few seconds of dictation (Android): The waveform did not react when you started speaking, appearing as if audio wasn't being captured.

• Dictation bubble got stuck in "Listening" (desktop): Quickly pressing and releasing the push-to-talk key — especially with a Bluetooth or slow-initializing microphone — could leave Flow unresponsive.

• Stale or incorrect transcription text in a new dictation (desktop): Caused by a new dictation starting while a prior session was still cleaning up.

• Microphone test bars stayed grey during onboarding (Windows): Caused by Windows audio driver warmup.

• Microphone test page showed audio levels stuck at 0 after onboarding (desktop).

• Voice dictation was blocked after completing onboarding (desktop): Microphone test page not properly marked as complete.

• Dictation hung or was slow to start (desktop): Caused by a startup timing issue.

• Hotkey press did nothing for an extended period (Mac): A bug that delayed dictation after pressing the activation shortcut.

• App crashed when granting microphone permission after returning to home screen (Android).

What does it mean when my transcription is empty?

Flow detected no speech in the recording. For recordings 5 seconds or longer (and less than 14 days old), a clickable Retry link appears. If the recording had an error, you'll see a different message.

What does "Unable to access mic" mean?

Your microphone is slow to respond — most often after your Mac wakes from sleep or is under heavy load. Click Restart App to restart Flow. The notification also disappears on its own after a short time.

What do the desktop microphone notifications mean?

These cover related mic states on desktop:

• Microphone is not working: Flow is running but your microphone isn't delivering audio; this appears after a period of silence during dictation. Click Select microphone to switch inputs. It clears on its own after a short time, or sooner if you stop or cancel the dictation.

• Microphone disconnected: The selected input device disappeared during recording. Click Insert to insert whatever was transcribed before the disconnect.

• Is your microphone muted?: A dictation ended with zero audio captured. Click Select microphone or Troubleshoot.

• We couldn't hear you: Transcription returned empty. Click Select microphone or Troubleshoot.

What do error indicators on the iOS keyboard mic button mean?

The mic button stays visible after a failed dictation so you can tap it to start a new one. Error context appears next to it in the keyboard row:

• Retry icon: A general error or cancelled dictation occurred. Tap the retry icon to try again.

• "Server is busy": The server couldn't process your dictation. Wait a moment and tap the mic button.

• "Network error" with warning icon: Your device lost internet connectivity. Check your connection and tap the mic button.

• "Couldn't start audio capture": Another app is holding the microphone (such as a phone or video call), or you swiped away right after opening the app. Tap the warning triangle for the full message, then tap the mic button. If it keeps happening, quit and reopen the Flow app.

Why does dictation produce "You," short random text, or unrelated placeholder phrases?

The microphone is picking up very low audio or only background noise, so a recording with little speech can return placeholder phrases. Check your input volume and hardware mute, speak clearly and closer to the mic, verify Flow is using the correct microphone, close conflicting apps (Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime), and try a wired mic.

Why is dictation slow with Bluetooth headphones?

Bluetooth microphones add connection delay. For faster performance, switch to your built-in mic or a wired USB or 3.5mm microphone.

How do I change which microphone Flow uses?

On desktop, click the Flow menu bar icon (Mac) or system tray icon (Windows) → Settings → General → Microphone → Change. Your selection takes effect immediately. On mobile, Flow uses whatever microphone your operating system reports as active.

How do I see which microphone Notetaker is using during a meeting?

While a meeting is actively recording, open the ⋯ (more) menu in the note header and select Microphone. On Mac, you'll also see Change system microphone…, which opens System Settings → Sound → Input. To choose a microphone before or between meetings, use the Flow menu bar status menu or Settings.

Audio is recorded but no text appears — what should I do?

Open the entry in history and check if the audio is clear; if so, restart Flow and try again. For empty or error recordings 5 seconds or longer (and less than 14 days old), click Retry. For dismissed transcriptions, click Recover. Retry and Download audio are also in the three-dot menu.

Why doesn't dictation work when my MacBook lid is closed?

macOS disables the built-in microphone with the lid closed. Flow shows a "Your laptop lid is closed" notification with a Select microphone button. Connect an external or Bluetooth microphone and select it: menu bar icon → Settings → General → Microphone → Change.

If I unplug my USB mic during a Notetaker meeting, will my recording be affected?

Flow switches to your Mac's new default input device within a moment, so you may notice a very brief gap before capture resumes.