Set up the Action Button for Flow on iPhone

Last updated: April 22, 2026

Available on: iOS (iPhone 15 Pro and later)

Turn your iPhone's Action Button into a one-press shortcut for Wispr Flow dictation. Setup takes about a minute.

How to set it up

  1. Open the Action Button setup using one of these entry points:

    1. From the keyboard: After you've dictated a total of 50 or more words, a feature card appears in the keyboard (on iPhones with an Action Button). A badge indicator shows when the card is available. Tap Set up.

    2. From Settings: Open the Wispr Flow app → Settings → Action button shortcut.

    You'll see an introduction screen with the subtitle "Dictate with Flow in a single click." Tap Let's go! to continue.

  2. Watch the demo video on the "See in Action" screen to preview how the Action Button shortcut works, then tap Try now.

  3. Tap Continue to proceed with the "Quick Dictation to Clipboard" shortcut (it ships with the app). This shortcut dictates anywhere — if you're not in a text field, Flow saves the transcript to your clipboard.

    Note: On some devices, you may see a "Swipe right to speak" screen explaining that Apple requires switching apps to activate the microphone. Swipe right at the bottom of the screen to return to Flow, and setup continues. On iOS 26.4 or later, the first time this happens you'll also see a one-time alert explaining the switchback step — tap OK to dismiss it. It won't appear again, and voice-to-text will continue working as usual.

  4. Tap Go to Settings to open iPhone Settings directly (or navigate manually to Settings → Action Button).

  5. Swipe to Shortcut and select Quick Dictation to Clipboard from the list of available shortcuts.

  6. Tap Try now on the "Let's test your new shortcut" screen to test your Action Button with a quick dictation into Notes.

  7. Return to the Flow setup. On the Switch Keyboard screen, watch the animated video showing how to switch keyboards, then tap the text field and use the globe key on your keyboard to switch to the Flow keyboard.

    Tip: You can tap Skip on the Switch Keyboard screen if you'd like to complete this step later.

  8. Press your Action Button and speak a short phrase. To stop, press and hold, then release the Action Button. When your dictation appears on screen, tap Next.

    Important: The Next button only appears after dictation text is successfully received. If it doesn't appear, go back and verify the correct Flow shortcut is selected in Settings → Action Button.

  9. Tap Finish on the All Set confirmation to complete setup, or tap Learn More for additional information.

If dictation text appeared during the test, your Action Button is working. Press it from any text field to start dictating with Flow.

Available shortcuts

Flow offers multiple shortcuts you can assign to the Action Button:

  • Turn On/Off Flow: Toggle dictation on and off

  • Dictate a Flow Note: Dictate directly into a new note

  • Quick Dictation to Clipboard: Copy your dictation to the clipboard

  • Quick Dictation to Notes: Save your dictation to your notes

  • Open Flow Notes: Access your saved notes

  • Save Flow Note: Create a note from existing text

To change your shortcut, open the Wispr Flow app → Settings → Action button shortcut and restart the setup.

Common issues

After swiping back from the keyboard, dictation didn't start — the "Start Flow" button stayed on screen

This was caused by a bug in v1.56 that affected the switchback workflow when Wispr Flow wasn't already open in the background. This has been fixed in the latest update.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the App Store.

  2. Try again — tap Start Flow from the keyboard, swipe right to return to Flow, and dictation should begin automatically.

FAQs

Which iPhones support the Action Button?

The Action Button is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, all iPhone 16 models, and all iPhone 17 models (including iPhone 17 Air). Older iPhones don't have this hardware.

When does the Action Button feature card appear?

There are two places the Action Button card can appear:

  • In the keyboard: After you've dictated 50 or more total words and completed at least 3 successful dictations. A badge indicator on the keyboard settings shows when the card is available. Feature cards display one at a time, so the Action Button card may need to wait if another card is showing.

  • On the home screen: After you've dictated 500 or more total words, an Action Button card may appear in the home screen carousel (shown up to 3 times).

Both cards only appear on iPhones that have an Action Button.

What is the Flow shortcut?

It's a built-in App Shortcut that connects your Action Button to Wispr Flow. The setup flow guides you to select it directly in your iPhone's Action Button settings — no additional installation needed.

Can I change the Action Button assignment later?

Yes. Change your Action Button assignment anytime in iPhone Settings → Action Button. To reconfigure it for Wispr Flow, open the Flow app → Settings → Action button shortcut.

What happens if I dismiss the Action Button card?

If you dismiss the feature card in the keyboard (by tapping "No, thanks"), it won't appear again in the keyboard but may still appear on the home screen. If you dismiss it on the home screen (by tapping the X), it is permanently dismissed everywhere. You can always set up the Action Button later from Settings → Action button shortcut.

Why did I see a "Swipe right to speak" message during setup?

Apple requires Flow to briefly switch apps to activate the microphone. When this happens, Flow shows a "Swipe right to speak" screen. Swipe right at the bottom of the screen to return to Flow and continue setup.

On iOS 26.4 or later, you'll also see a one-time alert the first time this occurs. Tap OK to dismiss it — it won't appear again, and dictation will work as normal.