Set up the Action Button for Flow on iPhone

Last updated: April 30, 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, and once it's done you can start dictating from any text field with a single press.

How to set it up

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

    1. From the keyboard: After you've dictated 50 or more total words, a feature card appears in the Flow keyboard. Tap Set up.

    2. From Settings: Open the Wispr Flow app, then go to Settings → Action button shortcut.

  2. Tap Let's go! on the introduction screen, then tap Try now after watching the demo video.

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

    Note: You may see a "Swipe back to your app" screen. Apple requires Flow to briefly switch apps to activate the microphone. Swipe right on the bottom bar to return to Flow and continue setup.

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

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

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

  7. Press your Action Button and speak a short phrase. Press and hold, then release, to stop. When your dictation appears on screen, tap Next.

    Important: The Next button only appears after dictation text is received. If it doesn't appear, return to Settings → Action Button and confirm Quick Dictation to Clipboard is selected.

  8. Tap Finish on the All Set screen to complete setup.

Your Action Button is now wired to Flow. Press it from any text field to start dictating.

Available shortcuts

Flow offers several 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: Open your saved notes.

  • Save Flow Note: Create a note from existing text.

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

Common issues

Dictation doesn't start after swiping back from the keyboard

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

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

  2. Tap Start Flow from the keyboard, then swipe right to return to Flow. Dictation should begin automatically.

FAQs

Which iPhones support the Action Button?

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 card can appear:

  • In the keyboard: After 50 or more total dictated words and at least 3 successful dictations. Feature cards display one at a time, so the Action Button card may wait if another card is showing.

  • On the home screen: After 500 or more total dictated words, the card may appear in the home screen carousel (up to 3 times).

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

What is the Flow shortcut?

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

Can I change the Action Button assignment later?

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

What happens if I dismiss the Action Button card?

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

Why did I see a "Swipe back to your app" message during setup?

Apple requires Flow to briefly switch apps to activate the microphone. Swipe right on the bottom bar 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.

Still stuck?

Reach out to support if:

  • The Next button never appears during the test step, even after confirming the correct shortcut is selected.

  • The Action Button doesn't trigger Flow after setup completes.

  • You see an error during setup that isn't covered above.

Include your iPhone model, iOS version, and Wispr Flow app version so we can help quickly.