Troubleshooting the Flow Bar (Desktop) and Flow Bubble (Android)

Mac

1. Unhide the bar in Wispr Flow Settings → System → Show Flow Bar. This also ends a "Hide for 1 hour" snooze immediately.

2. Enable Wispr Flow in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and → Microphone. Flow resumes once permissions are granted.

3. Exit full-screen mode; some full-screen modes hide floating elements. If the bar reappears outside full screen, the issue is mode-specific.

4. Test in another browser (Safari, Chrome, or Firefox). If the bar appears in one but not another, check for ad blockers or security extensions that block overlays.

Dictate a short phrase in a text field. If the bar appears and text is transcribed, you're done.

Windows

1. Find the Flow icon in the system tray near the clock, clicking the ^ arrow for hidden icons. If it's missing, open Wispr Flow from the Start menu.

2. Unhide the bar in Wispr Flow Settings → System → Show Flow Bar. This also ends a "Hide for 1 hour" snooze immediately.

3. Allow Flow to run in the background and interact with apps in Windows Settings → Privacy & security. Flow resumes once permissions are granted.

4. Disable third-party window managers or security utilities that block overlays. If the bar reappears, re-enable them one at a time to identify the conflict.

5. Exit full-screen mode; some immersive modes hide floating elements.

Dictate a short phrase in a text field. If the bar appears and text is transcribed, you're done.

Android

The Wispr Flow home screen shows diagnostic cards naming the cause and the fix:

• 'Enable Flow bubble on screen' — overlay permission missing → tap Go to Settings.

• 'Flow can't insert text' — accessibility permission missing → tap Go to Settings.

• 'Flow isn't responding' — service unresponsive → tap Restart Flow.

• 'Keep Wispr Flow running' — battery optimization → tap Allow.

• 'Flow Bubble Disabled' → tap Turn Back On.

• 'Bubble is snoozed' → tap End snooze now.

1. Open Wispr Flow from your app drawer. If your device or an OEM cleaner killed Flow, it normally restarts itself, and on Android 12+ opening the app restores it. Intentional stops — signing out, denying the overlay permission, or hiding Flow from its status notification — will not auto-restart. If Flow couldn't reconnect, tap the Repair tap target (warning triangle) on the bubble; if accessibility permission was revoked, Flow opens a repair screen linking to Android's accessibility settings.

2. Tap Turn Back On on the home screen's Flow Bubble Disabled card to restart the bubble.

3. End a snooze: shake your device, or tap End snooze now on the 'Bubble is snoozed' card. Snooze lasts 10 minutes, starts when the bubble is dragged to the bottom of the screen, and the bubble may not reappear until you tap a text field.

4. Check the bubble size in Wispr Flow Settings → Flow Bubble Size — four sizes (0.7x, 0.85x, 1.0x default, 1.15x), with a Reset button.

5. Enable the accessibility service in Settings → Accessibility → Installed apps → Wispr Flow. Tapping a "Wispr Flow needs attention" notification jumps straight to the repair flow; if Flow's notifications are disabled, these prompts appear as brief toasts instead.

6. Confirm you enabled the per-app "Use Wispr Flow" service toggle, not the Accessibility shortcut. With the shortcut on, Flow shows "Oops, something isn't right" and "Make sure this shortcut is turned off" with an Open settings button; the shortcut isn't required.

7. Check microphone permission in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Permissions → Microphone. If it's revoked, the bubble stays on screen on purpose to guide you: Flow shows an "Oops, something isn't right" sheet with a "We can't hear you" card and a Go to Settings button that opens App info.

8. Check overlay permission in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Display over other apps.

9. Exempt Flow from battery optimization; Flow guides you to the right setting for your device:

   1. Samsung: add Flow to "Never sleeping apps."

   2. Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, Vivo: enable "Autostart" for Flow.

   3. Oppo: enable "Allow Auto-Launch" and "Allow Background Activity."

   4. Huawei, Honor: turn on the "App launch" toggles.

   5. Realme, OnePlus: set to "Don't optimize" and enable App Auto-Launch (auto-launch is the key step).

   6. Motorola, Lenovo: set to "Don't optimize."

   7. Tecno, Infinix, itel: enable Autostart.

   8. Google Pixel: no manufacturer-specific setup beyond the standard Android battery exemption.

Tap a text field in any app to open the on-screen keyboard. If the bubble appears, you're done. If not, update Wispr Flow and try again.

The bar appears in apps but not in browsers — what's wrong?

Some browsers require specific permissions or run extensions that block overlays. Try a different browser to isolate the issue, and check that no ad blockers or security extensions are interfering.

The bar suddenly stopped showing — what happened?

The Flow Bar reconnects automatically after sleep and after signing out and back in. If it's still missing, restart Wispr Flow, check Settings → System → Show Flow Bar, confirm it isn't snoozed with "Hide for 1 hour," and check whether a recent system update changed your privacy or accessibility settings.

Why did the Flow Bubble shrink to a small icon or dot on Android?

The bubble auto-minimizes after about 5 seconds of inactivity in the ready state, and immediately in search fields. Any touch restores full size; tapping a minimized bubble also starts a new recording.

What does the pulsing loader or warning triangle on the Flow Bubble mean?

Both mean Flow lost its connection to the accessibility service, most common on Samsung One UI and devices with aggressive battery management:

• Pulsing loader: Flow is reconnecting automatically and is not tappable; the bubble returns to normal once connected.

• Warning triangle: reconnection stalled or accessibility permission was revoked. Tap it to open accessibility settings and re-enable Wispr Flow; the indicator clears shortly after you re-grant access.

If accessibility is already disabled when you open the app, Flow shows a Repair tap target instead. While you're dictating, Flow waits until the recording completes before showing these indicators.

Why can't I snooze the Flow Bubble on Android?

Snooze is unavailable while the accessibility repair prompt is showing and while the bubble is recording or in any non-Ready state. Re-enable the accessibility permission and snooze works again.

Shaking the device only ends a snooze — it won't reveal the bubble outside a focused text field, and it's blocked in banking apps. On-screen guidance reads 'To bring it back shake your phone when you are inside a text box'; ending a snooze shows 'Flow Bubble is back and will appear next time you are in a text box'.

What happens when the Flow Bubble shows an error on Android?

A transcription or paste error clears after a short period of inactivity, or sooner when you tap the Wispr icon on the bubble. After dismissal, the bubble returns to ready if a text field is focused, or hides.

• Failed to paste: tapping the icon dismisses the error. Your text stays on the clipboard so you can paste it manually.

• Failed to transcribe: tapping the icon starts a fresh dictation session. A long toast reads 'Failed to transcribe. Saved in the app.' — the audio and transcript are saved to Flow's history so you can retry from the transcript list instead of re-dictating.

How do I change the Flow Bubble's size on Android?

Go to Settings → Flow Bubble Size and drag the slider through the four sizes, or tap Reset for the default.

How do I stop the "Wispr Flow is displaying over other apps" notification on Samsung?

This notification comes from Android itself, because Flow uses the "Display over other apps" permission to show the Flow Bubble.

On Samsung One UI, silence just this system notification:

1. Enable Developer options: go to Settings → About phone → Software information and tap Build number seven times.

2. Enable notification categories: go to Settings → Notifications → Advanced settings and tap Manage notification categories for each app at the bottom.

3. Long-press the "displaying over other apps" notification in your notification shade, tap Settings, then scroll to Notification categories.

4. Open the Android System notification settings and disable the "displaying over other apps" category.

This mutes only that system notice; Flow's overlay permission, the Flow Bubble, and dictation stay intact.

Can I use the Flow Bubble to reply to notifications or dictate into my browser's address bar?

Yes. The bubble appears in notification reply boxes on devices including Samsung, Xiaomi, OPPO, OnePlus, Realme, Vivo, and Asus, inserting text at the cursor and preserving anything you've already typed.

It also appears in the address bar of supported browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet, Opera, Vivaldi, DuckDuckGo, Kiwi, UC Browser, and Yandex.

Why does Flow copy text to my clipboard instead of inserting it directly?

When Flow can't verify that dictated text landed in the field — for example in a very long document, or when insertion takes too long — it copies the text to your clipboard and shows a Paste button on the bubble so you can paste it manually.

What Android settings don't exist in Wispr Flow?

Android has no language picker (Flow auto-detects; the picker is desktop-only), no privacy/data toggle, and no in-app subscription purchase — manage your plan on the web. Dictation start/stop sounds can't be turned off.