Longer dictation sessions — now up to 20 minutes

Last updated: August 19, 2026

Available on: Mac

A single dictation session now runs up to 20 minutes on Mac. Draft long emails, capture meeting notes, or think through an essay out loud — there's nothing to configure.

How it works in Flow

Key behaviors

  • One-minute warning: At 19 minutes, Flow notifies you that less than a minute remains.

  • Automatic submission at 20 minutes: Flow ends the session, transcribes it, and pastes the text into your active field. The confirmation notification includes a Recover text button that re-pastes the last transcript.

  • Other ways to recover the last transcript: Choose "Paste last transcript" from the tray menu, or press Cmd+Ctrl+V to paste and Cmd+Ctrl+C to copy. Displayed shortcuts reflect your custom bindings; the tray item stays disabled until the session's first transcription.

  • No cooldown between sessions: Once the previous transcript finishes processing (usually a few seconds), press your dictation hotkey again. Triggering too early shows a "Flow was processing your last transcript" notice; its Cancel button discards the in-progress transcript instead of waiting.

  • Notetaker tip after long sessions: On Mac, after a dictation of 10 minutes or longer, Flow may show a one-time tip — "Capture longer thoughts with Notetaker." It appears at most once ever, and only if you haven't tried Notetaker.

Best practices

  • Speak naturally — Flow handles pauses, filler words, and corrections.

  • Use voice commands like "new line" or "new paragraph" to structure text as you go.

  • Wait for the previous transcript to finish before starting a new session.

FAQs

Does this apply to all plans?

Yes — Free and Pro, on Mac.

What about iOS and Android?

This update applies to Mac only. The iOS session limit is 5 minutes; Android has no maximum recording duration.

Can I dictate for longer than 20 minutes?

Yes. Start a new session as soon as the previous one finishes processing — there's no cooldown.

Why did I see a Notetaker tip after my dictation?

Notetaker records and transcribes meetings, and Flow suggests it once after a long dictation on Mac. Dismiss it to move on. Muting Tips and Suggestions in settings prevents the tip.

Limitations and notes

  • This update applies to Mac only. Mobile session limits are unchanged.

  • The Notetaker tip is Mac only, once per account. It does not start a recording or change any settings.

  • Free plan on desktop: a 2,000-word weekly soft cap that does not throttle dictation, and a 5,000-word hard cap that blocks dictation until the limit resets. Upgrade prompts and limit indicators (plan pill, words-remaining counter, plan card in Settings → Plans) appear only within 200 words of the soft cap or after you've hit it.

  • Free plan on iOS: a separate weekly allowance with a 1,000-word soft cap and a 1,500-word hard cap.

  • Weekly word limits reset each Sunday at midnight in your local timezone.