Mac

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

2. Select your microphone by name. Click the Flow menu bar icon → Settings → Defaults → Change microphone. Choose your specific mic (avoid "Auto-detect"). The picker shows a live volume indicator — confirm it moves when you speak.

3. Test your microphone. Dictate a short phrase and 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. Reopen Flow and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

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

Windows

1. Grant microphone permission. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone → enable desktop apps. If already enabled, toggle off then on, then restart Flow.

2. Select your microphone by name. Click the Flow system tray icon → Settings → Defaults → Change microphone. Choose your specific mic (avoid "Auto-detect"), then click Save. The picker shows a live volume indicator — confirm it moves when you speak.

3. Test your microphone. Dictate a short phrase and 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. Reopen Flow and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

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

iOS

1. Grant microphone permission. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → enable Flow. If already enabled, toggle off then on, then restart Flow. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

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

3. Configure Bluetooth microphone (optional). Open Settings → Bluetooth and pair your device. In the Flow app, tap Settings → toggle off "Use Built-In Mic." Dictate a test phrase — if text appears, you're done.

4. Retry failed transcriptions. Tap an empty transcript in history to automatically retry. You can also swipe left on any transcript or long-press for a context menu with a Retry option.

Android

1. Grant microphone permission. If Flow prompts you, tap to grant it. If the prompt doesn't appear, open Settings → Apps → Flow → Permissions → Microphone → enable. If already enabled, toggle off then 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 latency and may reduce accuracy. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

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

4. Fix Bluetooth mic not being used. Open Settings → Connected devices and confirm the device is connected. Disconnect and reconnect, or toggle Bluetooth off and back on. Dictate again — if text appears, you're done.

Microphone switches unexpectedly when using a Jabra Evolve3 headset (Mac, Windows)

If you have the Jabra Wear Detection experimental feature enabled, Flow automatically switches between your Jabra mic and your built-in mic based on whether the headset is being worn. Putting on or removing the headset, or connecting/disconnecting it over Bluetooth, triggers the switch. If this behavior is unexpected, go to Settings → Experimental → Jabra Wear Detection and turn the toggle off. No restart is required.

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

If the dictation bubble was dismissed or hidden while dictation was active on Android, the microphone could keep recording in the background until the session timed out. This was fixed in version 1.6.0. Update Flow to version 1.6.0 or later to resolve this.

Microphone stayed on after the Flow bubble was hidden (Mac, Windows)

If the Flow bubble was dismissed or hidden while dictation was active, the microphone could keep recording silently in the background — wasting battery and resources — until the session timed out after 5 minutes. Hiding the bubble now immediately stops any active dictation session and releases the microphone. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

Audio silently stops capturing mid-dictation while Flow still shows "Listening" (Mac, Windows)

Flow could silently stop recording audio in the middle of a dictation — for example, after the system woke from sleep or during heavy background activity — while still showing a "Listening" status. This meant dictation would complete with no text, and there was no indication anything had gone wrong. Flow now automatically recovers audio capture if it's interrupted during an active recording, and is more resilient to wake-from-sleep events while dictating. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

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

Canceling or dismissing a dictation session could sometimes trigger an unexpected error message, even though nothing had actually gone wrong. This has been fixed. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

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

Pressing your dictation shortcut, a transform shortcut (like Opt+S), or the paste last text shortcut could sometimes appear to do nothing — with delays occasionally lasting 14 seconds or more. This was caused by an issue where Flow's keyboard shortcut processing could get stuck. This has been fixed. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

Hotkey press did nothing for 30+ seconds on Mac

Pressing your activation shortcut on Mac could cause a long delay — sometimes 30 seconds or more — before dictation started. This was caused by an internal hotkey handling issue and has been fixed. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

Clamshell warning appeared even though the MacBook lid was open

A bug caused Flow to incorrectly show the clamshell warning even when the lid was open. This was caused by Flow reading outdated hardware information instead of checking the current state. This has been fixed — Flow now checks your laptop's hardware state fresh each time you start dictation. Update Flow to the latest version to resolve this.

As part of this fix, if a clamshell warning does appear, any follow-up "No Audio" notification is suppressed for 60 seconds to prevent duplicate alerts.

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues were fixed in recent versions. Update Flow to resolve them:

• Right-click menu showed an empty microphone list immediately after launch (Mac, Windows): Opening the right-click menu on the status bubble within the first second after starting Flow could show an empty microphone list or cause an error. The microphone list now loads correctly even if the menu is opened right after the app starts.

• Microphone stays active after canceling dictation (v1.5.1): The microphone could remain on — with the mic indicator still visible — even after canceling a dictation session. This could happen when canceling during startup, starting a new dictation immediately after a previous one, or when Flow was shutting down. The microphone is now properly turned off whenever dictation is canceled, and the UI returns to idle correctly.

• Waveform animation was unresponsive during the first few seconds of dictation (Android): The waveform did not react when you started speaking, which could appear as if audio wasn't being captured. The waveform now responds immediately.

• Dictation bubble gets stuck in "Listening" state (desktop): Quickly pressing and releasing the push-to-talk key — especially with a Bluetooth or slow-initializing microphone — could leave Flow unresponsive until the processing timed out or the app was restarted.

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

• Microphone test bars stay grey during onboarding (Windows): Windows audio driver warmup caused bars to stay grey.

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

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

• Dictation hangs or takes a long time to start (desktop): Race condition causing delays of up to 24 seconds.

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

What does "Audio is silent" mean?

Flow displays "Audio is silent" when a recording produces no detected speech. For recordings 5 seconds or longer (and less than 14 days old), a clickable Retry link appears. Once the mic issue is fixed, dictation resumes normally.

What does "Unable to access mic" mean?

This notification appears when your microphone takes more than 8 seconds to respond — most often after your Mac wakes from sleep or is under heavy load. Click Restart App, or wait — if your mic connects on its own, the notification disappears automatically.

Why does dictation only produce "You" or short random text?

This happens when the microphone picks up very low audio or only background noise. Check your input volume, speak clearly, and position yourself closer to the microphone.

Why is dictation slow with Bluetooth headphones?

Bluetooth microphones add latency. For faster performance, switch to your built-in mic or a wired USB/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 → Defaults → Change microphone. On mobile, Flow uses whatever microphone your operating system reports as active.

What if I'm stuck on the microphone test page during setup?

If the test hangs for over a minute, Flow shows a toast: "Having trouble detecting microphone? Try restarting Flow." Click the toast to restart the app and try setup again.

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 (and less than 14 days old), click Retry. For dismissed transcriptions, click Recover. You can also access Retry from the three-dot menu on any history entry.

Audio files are automatically deleted after 14 days. Retry, Recover, and Download audio are unavailable for entries older than 14 days.

Why does dictation return "Transcription by CastingWords"?

When audio contains little or no speech, the recognition model fills in silence with placeholder phrases. This indicates your mic isn't capturing audio properly. Check for hardware mute, verify Flow is using the correct microphone, close conflicting apps (Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime), and try a wired mic.

Dictation doesn't work when my MacBook lid is closed

When your MacBook lid is closed, macOS disables the built-in microphone. Flow detects this and shows a clamshell warning. To keep dictating, connect an external or Bluetooth microphone and select it in Flow: click the menu bar icon → Settings → Defaults → Change microphone.

The clamshell warning only appears if you're using the built-in microphone. If you've already selected an external or Bluetooth mic, Flow won't show this warning. Clamshell detection requires macOS 12 (Monterey) or later.