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. Click the 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. 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. 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. Click the 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. 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. The first time you start a dictation, Flow asks for microphone access — tap Allow. If you previously denied access, a toast appears reading "Enable microphone access to use Flow." Open the iOS Settings app → Flow → Microphone and turn it on. If permission is 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. The built-in mic provides the most reliable dictation experience. Dictate a short phrase — if text appears, you're done.

3. Configure a Bluetooth microphone (optional). Open Settings → Bluetooth and pair your device. In the Flow app, 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 automatically retry. You can also swipe left on any transcript or long-press it for a Retry option. If an error occurred, a retry icon appears next to the mic button in the keyboard — tap it to try again.

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, tapping Allow Microphone takes you to 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 and pair your device. 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 and confirm the device is connected. Disconnect and reconnect, or toggle Bluetooth off and back on. Dictate again — if text appears, you're done.

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

After a failed dictation, network error, or cancelled dictation, the mic button in the Flow keyboard would briefly show a warning triangle (for about 1 second) before returning to normal. The mic button now stays visible at all times so you can immediately tap to start a new dictation. Error context is shown next to the mic button instead:

• General error or cancelled dictation: A retry icon appears in the row. Tap it to try again.

• Server error: A "Server is busy" message is shown in the row.

• Network error: "Network error" text and a small warning-triangle button appear next to the mic.

Update Flow from the App Store to get this fix.

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

Previously, when a dictation captured no speech, the Flow keyboard would display an "Audio was silent" warning with a warning icon. The keyboard now simply resets back to the microphone button — the same as after a successful dictation — without showing a warning message. Update Flow from the App Store to get this fix.

iOS keyboard mic button became unresponsive after cancelling a dictation

After cancelling a dictation and having the main Wispr Flow app close in the background (most commonly in Low Power Mode), the mic button in the Flow keyboard could become stuck and unresponsive. Previously, the only way to recover was to tap "Turn Off Recording."

After this fix, tapping the mic button again restores the keyboard to a ready state. A second tap then starts dictation normally. Update Flow from the App Store to get this fix.

First iOS dictation after opening the app failed with an error

On iOS, 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, so the first dictation works reliably. Update Flow from the App Store to get this fix.

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

Several related reliability issues were fixed in a recent iOS update:

• Keyboard mic button stuck after several dictations: After 4–5 back-to-back dictations using the iOS keyboard, re-entering the keyboard view could freeze the mic button. Each tap would start a duplicate dictation, causing the same text to be inserted twice. The keyboard now stays responsive across sustained back-to-back use.

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

• Action Button, Shortcuts, or widget press did nothing after a cancelled dictation: Pressing the Action Button (or using a Shortcut or Home Screen widget) after cancelling a dictation could silently fail, or the start/stop toggle could get out of sync so the next press did the opposite of what was expected. These entry points now correctly reflect the current recording state.

• First dictation after launch was slow or failed to start: The first dictation after opening the app now starts faster and more reliably.

Update Flow from the App Store to get these fixes.

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

This was caused by a bug where iOS onboarding incorrectly recorded microphone permission as denied even when you had just tapped Allow. The first dictation attempt would show an "Oops, we didn't hear you" toast and prompt you to grant access again — even though permission was already granted. New iOS users can now successfully complete their first dictation immediately after granting permission. Update Flow to the latest version to get this fix.

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

This was caused by Flow not explicitly requesting microphone access at the right time on iOS. In some cases, this also meant Flow never appeared in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone. Flow now requests microphone permission the first time you start a dictation. If access is denied, a toast appears reading "Enable microphone access to use Flow." To grant access, open the iOS Settings app → Flow → Microphone and turn it on.

Dictation attempt failed silently during iOS onboarding

When you tried dictation during the "try it yourself" steps in iOS onboarding, Flow previously failed silently if something went wrong. Flow now shows a message at the top of the screen explaining what happened and what to do next:

• 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)

This was caused by the microphone becoming unavailable in certain situations — for example, after restarting onboarding from Settings. When this happened, pressing the dictation hotkey would fail silently and the microphone test would spin without completing, requiring a full app restart to recover.

Flow now automatically detects and recovers from this condition without requiring a restart. You may notice a brief delay on your first push-to-talk press after this recovery, but dictation will proceed normally.

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

The audio level bars shown during onboarding and in the microphone selection dialog previously appeared fully filled at all times, regardless of whether you were speaking or silent. The bars now accurately reflect your actual microphone input — staying low or empty during silence and rising when you speak.

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

During the "Test your microphone" step in setup, Flow previously showed only a generic toast saying "Having trouble detecting microphone? Try restarting Flow." Flow now shows a dedicated error panel directly on the setup page with specific guidance and actions:

• Microphone access not granted: Click Open Settings to go directly 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 to go to 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 to recover.

• 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 automatically retries and dismisses the error panel as soon as your microphone starts working.

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

This was caused by Flow not detecting microphone access failures early enough — it would show the "Listening" bubble as normal for a while, then show a generic error. Flow now immediately ends the dictation session when it can't access your microphone, and shows a specific notification:

• No microphone detected: Shown when no microphone is connected. Click Open Sound Settings to open your system sound input settings.

• Selected microphone is unavailable: Shown when the microphone you previously selected is no longer connected. Click Choose Microphone to pick a different one.

• Microphone unavailable: Shown when another app is using your microphone or the audio system needs a reset. Click Troubleshoot for help.

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

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

This was caused by the microphone stopping mid-dictation — for example, due to a macOS audio system issue or another app setting your system input volume to zero. Flow now alerts you in two stages:

• First, after a short period of silence: The waveform animation in the status bubble goes flat, and a first "No audio received" notification appears. This auto-dismisses on its own and offers a Contact us action.

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

If audio recovers on its own, the waveform resumes. A 1-minute warning notification also fires at 19 minutes of active dictation, before the 20-minute hard session stop.

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

This was caused by audio capture interruptions — for example, after the system woke from sleep or during heavy background activity — while Flow still showed a "Listening" status. Flow now automatically recovers audio capture if it's interrupted 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 (fixed in Android v1.6.0).

Microphone selection dialog was blank after upgrading to v1.4.894 (Windows)

This was caused by an upgrade issue in version 1.4.894 that left the microphone picker empty even though dictation sometimes still worked. The microphone picker now populates correctly after upgrading.

Flow incorrectly said microphone privacy was disabled (Windows, v1.4.894)

This was caused by Flow reading system settings that didn't reflect the actual microphone permission state — common on machines managed by IT policies, Dell Optimizer, or similar privacy tools. Flow now checks microphone access by actually trying to use it, so this false error no longer appears. The notification still appears correctly when microphone access is genuinely blocked.

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

This was caused by a cleanup timing issue when canceling or dismissing a dictation session, which 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)

Pressing the activation, transform (Opt+S), or paste-last-text shortcut could intermittently feel delayed or unresponsive due to keyboard event handling issues. This has been fixed in recent updates.

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

This was caused by Flow reading outdated hardware information instead of checking the current state. Flow now monitors lid open/close, sleep/wake, and device connect/disconnect events in real time, so dictation always uses up-to-date hardware information. 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 (v1.5.1): The mic could remain on — with the indicator still visible — even after canceling.

• Waveform animation was unresponsive in 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.

• 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?

This notification appears when 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 does "Microphone is not working" mean?

This notification appears after a period of silence during dictation — meaning Flow is running but your microphone isn't delivering any audio. Click Select microphone to switch to a different input. The notification clears on its own after a short time, or sooner if you stop or cancel the dictation.

What do the "Microphone disconnected," "Is your microphone muted?," and "We couldn't hear you" notifications mean?

These notifications cover related mic states on desktop:

• 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?

After a failed dictation, the mic button stays visible so you can tap it to start a new dictation right away. Error context appears next to the mic button 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 to try again.

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

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 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.

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. You can also access Retry and Download audio from the three-dot menu.

Why does dictation return odd or unrelated placeholder text?

When a recording contains little or no speech, transcription can return placeholder phrases instead of your words. 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.

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

When your MacBook lid is closed, macOS disables the built-in microphone. Flow shows a "Your laptop lid is closed" notification with a Select microphone button to help you switch to an external mic. To keep dictating, connect an external or Bluetooth microphone and select it in Flow: menu bar icon → Settings → General → Microphone → Change.