Re-verify Wispr Flow permissions after updating

Mac

Flow needs Microphone and Accessibility permissions to work. Screen Recording is not required for basic dictation. If you use Notetaker and are on macOS 13 or earlier, System Audio capture uses the Screen Recording permission — you'll need to grant it and restart Flow. On macOS 14.4 or later, System Audio has its own dedicated permission.

1. Quit Flow by clicking the Wispr Flow icon in the menu bar and selecting Quit.

2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

3. Find Wispr Flow in the list and toggle it off, then on again.

4. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility and ensure Wispr Flow is enabled.

5. If you use Notetaker: Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording (System Audio) and ensure Wispr Flow is enabled.

6. Reopen Wispr Flow from your Applications folder or Dock.

7. Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, you're done.

Windows

Flow does not require app-level Microphone or Accessibility permissions on Windows — only system Microphone access matters. Flow checks microphone availability at runtime, so you typically don't need to manually re-verify permissions after an update.

1. Check that your system microphone is working in Windows Sound Settings and that no other app is using it exclusively.

2. Close and reopen Wispr Flow.

3. Dictate a short phrase. If text appears in Recent Activity, you're done.

iOS

On a first-time grant, tapping Start Flow or the microphone button triggers an iOS system prompt — tap Allow. If you previously denied access, iOS won't re-show the prompt. Instead, the Home screen replaces your stats with a "We can't hear you" card that reads "To use Flow, turn on Microphone in Settings" and has a Go to Settings button.

1. Tap Go to Settings on the "We can't hear you" card, or open iOS Settings → Wispr Flow → Microphone manually.

2. Turn on the Microphone toggle for Wispr Flow.

3. Return to Wispr Flow — the app detects the change automatically.

4. Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, you're done.

Android

The Home screen shows a different card depending on which permission or service needs attention: "We can't hear you" (microphone revoked), "Flow Bubble Disabled" (service stopped), "Enable Flow bubble on screen" (Display over other apps missing), "Flow can't insert text" (Accessibility missing), "Keep Wispr Flow running" (battery optimization enabled), "Bubble is snoozed" (manually dismissed), or "Flow isn't responding" (accessibility service unresponsive) with a Restart Flow button.

To restore microphone access:

1. Tap Allow Microphone on the "We can't hear you" card — this triggers the Android permission prompt. If you previously denied the permission permanently ("Don't ask again"), tapping the button will instead open Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Permissions.

2. Set Microphone to Allow.

3. Return to Wispr Flow — the permission card updates automatically and recording resumes without restarting the app.

4. Dictate a short phrase. If text appears, you're done.

For other cards, tap the action button on the card (Turn Back On, Go to Settings, Restart Flow, or End snooze now) and follow the on-screen prompt.

Android: Flow Bubble missing after the system closed a background service

On some Android devices, the system can close Flow's accessibility connection while the app is in the background. This was fixed in a recent version — the Flow Bubble now displays a repair state (warning triangle) when this happens.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Open Wispr Flow — if the Flow Bubble is missing, look for the Repair prompt on screen.

3. Tap Repair and follow the on-screen steps to restore the Flow Bubble.

4. Look for the "Flow Bubble reconnected" confirmation — you're done.

Android: App crashed on launch after microphone permission was revoked (Android 14+)

On Android 14 and later, revoking microphone permission could send Wispr Flow into a crash loop on every launch. Fixed in the latest version — the app now keeps the floating bubble visible when microphone access is unavailable, so you can tap it to re-grant permission without the app crashing.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Open Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Permissions if the app is still crashing on launch.

3. Set Microphone to Allow.

4. Relaunch Wispr Flow — it should open normally.

Android: Flow Bubble shows a warning triangle and typing stopped working

This was caused by Flow losing its accessibility connection and being unable to recover automatically — most commonly on Samsung devices or devices with aggressive battery-saving modes. Fixed in the latest version, which now signals connection state directly on the bubble:

• Pulsing background and spinner: Flow is reconnecting. No action needed — it recovers automatically.

• Warning triangle or pulsing W: Flow couldn't reconnect, or accessibility permission has been revoked. Tap it to open the in-app repair screen.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Tap the warning triangle or pulsing W on the Flow Bubble.

3. Follow the in-app repair screen to re-enable Wispr Flow in the Android accessibility list.

4. Return to your app — the bubble returns to normal and a confirmation message appears.

Android: Accessibility permission was silently revoked on a manufacturer device

This was caused by some Android manufacturer devices — including Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo, Motorola, and others — revoking Flow's accessibility permission in the background without any in-app warning, which caused Flow to silently stop inserting text. Fixed in a recent version of Wispr Flow.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Tap the notification Flow sends when this happens — it opens Flow's in-app repair screen, which walks you through re-enabling Wispr Flow in Android's Accessibility settings.

3. Re-enable Wispr Flow in the accessibility list.

Android: Revoking "Display over other apps" left a stuck or unresponsive bubble

This was caused by a bug where revoking the "Display over other apps" permission while Flow was running could leave a lingering overlay window or cause the service to retry repeatedly. Fixed in a recent version — any leftover overlay is now cleaned up automatically and the service shuts down on its own.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Force-stop Wispr Flow in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Force Stop if a stuck bubble remains.

3. Re-enable the permission in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Display over other apps.

4. Reopen Wispr Flow and tap Turn Back On if the "Flow Bubble Disabled" card appears.

Android: Bubble, snooze, and recovery bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues were all fixed in recent versions of Wispr Flow. Update the app to resolve them:

• Flow Bubble didn't appear after enabling accessibility, signing in, or rebooting: The bubble now starts up automatically and consistently in all of these situations, including auto-starting at boot when accessibility is enabled.

• Re-granting a permission left you stuck in Android Settings: The app now returns to the foreground automatically as soon as the permission is granted.

• Bubble entered repair mode slowly after accessibility was interrupted: The bubble now enters repair mode immediately, instead of being slow to recover.

• Snooze state lost when the keyboard opens: Snoozed state now persists correctly when a keyboard appears.

• Shake-to-unsnooze stopped working: Shaking the phone while in a text field reliably ends snooze again.

• Flow Bubble didn't shrink in search fields: The bubble now resizes correctly when you tap into a search field.

• Bubble position wrong in landscape: Landscape orientation positioning is restored.

• Snooze card stuck after force-stopping the app: Snooze cards now clear correctly after a force-stop.

• App didn't show a repair prompt when opened with accessibility disabled: Flow now immediately shows the repair prompt on cold start if accessibility permission is off.

• Text took too long to appear on Samsung devices: Text now appears more quickly after you finish speaking.

iOS: First dictation after granting mic permission showed a "We can't hear you" error

This was caused by an onboarding bug where granting microphone permission for the first time could still trigger a "We can't hear you" error and a second permission prompt on the very first dictation attempt. Fixed in recent versions of Wispr Flow — new users can now complete their first dictation immediately after granting mic permission during onboarding. Update to the latest version to get this fix.

iOS: Wispr Flow didn't appear under Microphone in iOS Settings

This was caused by the app not making an explicit microphone permission request, so iOS never listed it. Flow now requests microphone access as soon as you tap Start Flow or the mic button, which causes it to appear in iOS Settings immediately. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version to get this fix.

iOS: Dictation failed silently with no error message

This was caused by onboarding dictation failing without surfacing the underlying problem — denied microphone permission, a poor connection, a mic in use by another app, or no audio detected. Flow now shows a message at the top of the screen explaining what went wrong, such as:

• "Enable microphone access to use Flow"

• "Poor connection! Tap the mic to try again"

• "Your mic is being used by another app. Close other apps and try again!"

• "Oops, we didn't hear you.. Get closer to your mic and try again!" — appears if dictation completes but doesn't detect any speech.

• A generic fallback message for other errors.

Messages auto-dismiss after a few seconds. A similar fix also covers the case where revoking microphone permission caused dictation to fail silently — tapping Start Flow or the microphone button now shows a "We can't hear you" prompt. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version to get these fixes.

Windows: Dictation failed repeatedly and required a full app restart to recover

This was caused by a bug where the audio recorder could become unavailable — most commonly after restarting onboarding, or due to audio driver issues on Windows. In the prior failure mode, the app would enter a false "Listening" state on each push-to-talk attempt and then surface a transcription error. Fixed in the latest version, which now recovers from this state automatically. You may notice a small delay on the first dictation press after recovery. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version to get this fix.

Windows: Microphone list was empty, or a false "microphone privacy disabled" error appeared

This was caused by two Windows-specific bugs that have since been fixed:

• Blank microphone list in Settings: Some Windows users saw an empty audio device list in the microphone selection dialog, even though dictation could still work in some cases (such as after connecting a headset).

• False "microphone privacy disabled" error: Some users were blocked from dictating with a microphone privacy error even though their microphone was enabled in Windows Settings. This was more likely on IT-managed machines or on machines with third-party privacy tools installed.

1. Click the Wispr Flow icon in your system tray.

2. Select the update option in the menu (labels include "Check for updates...", "Update downloading...", or "Update ready, restart now?").

3. Install the update when prompted, then reopen Wispr Flow.

Windows: A downloaded update disappeared from the UI and Flow didn't update automatically

This was caused by a bug where opening the Settings panel or triggering an update check after an update had already been downloaded would incorrectly reset the update status to "Up to date," hiding the pending update. Fixed in the latest version. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version using the tray menu.

Mac: On the latest macOS, permission links opened the wrong System Settings pane

This was caused by a bug where clicking to grant Accessibility, Microphone, or Screen Recording permissions — either during onboarding or from a notification — could open the wrong System Settings pane or have no effect on recent macOS versions. Fixed in the latest version of Wispr Flow.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version so future permission prompts open the correct pane automatically.

2. Open System Settings on your Mac if you're still affected.

3. Go to Privacy & Security → Microphone (or Accessibility, or Screen Recording) and enable Wispr Flow directly.

Desktop: Onboarding showed a generic "Try restarting Flow" message for any mic error

This was caused by the onboarding flow showing the same generic message for every microphone problem. Flow now shows a dedicated pop-up with a specific explanation and a targeted action for each type of problem:

• Permission denied: Shows an Open Settings button that takes you directly to the right permissions pane.

• No microphone detected: Shows a Refresh devices button and an Open Sound Settings link.

• Mic in use by another app: Shows an Open Sound Settings button (primary) and a Restart Flow button (secondary).

• Selected mic unavailable: Shows a Choose a different microphone button.

• Other errors: Shows a Restart Flow button.

The pop-up is intentionally non-dismissable — clicking outside or pressing Escape won't close it. It retries automatically and dismisses itself as soon as your mic starts working. If the problem continues, a fallback "still having trouble" message with a Restart Flow action appears. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version to get this fix.

Flow keeps asking for microphone access every time I start it

This usually means the permission wasn't fully granted. Toggle the permission off and on again in System Settings, then restart Flow.

I don't see Wispr Flow listed under Microphone or Accessibility on Mac

Reinstall Flow. If it still doesn't appear, contact support with your macOS version.

Keyboard shortcuts stopped working even though microphone access is on

On Mac, keyboard shortcuts require Accessibility permission, which is separate from Microphone. See the Mac steps above to re-enable it.

Clicking "Allow" opens System Settings instead of showing a dialog

This happens when you've previously denied microphone access. Flow opens System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone directly so you can enable it there. On a first-time grant, Flow shows the native macOS permission dialog instead.

I use Notetaker on Mac and see an advisory about system audio permission — is something broken?

No — this advisory appears if you're running macOS 14.0 through 14.3, where System Audio capture is not available. To use this feature, upgrade to macOS 14.4 or later.

I see "Flow Bubble Disabled" on Android but all my permissions are on

This card appears when the Flow Bubble service has stopped but permissions are still in place — most commonly after updating Flow or if the system stopped the service. Tap Turn Back On to restart it.

On Android, snooze says it's unavailable or I can't dismiss the Flow Bubble

Both behaviors are intentional when the bubble is in repair mode (warning triangle or pulsing W). Snooze is automatically cancelled and the bubble cannot be dismissed so the repair prompt stays visible. Tap the bubble, re-enable Wispr Flow in Android's accessibility settings, and both snooze and dismiss work as normal again.

On Android, I revoked microphone permission and now the app won't open

On the latest version of Wispr Flow, the app opens normally even with microphone permission revoked — the floating bubble and overlay remain available so you can re-grant permission without relaunching. If you're hitting a crash loop, update Wispr Flow, or go to Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Permissions and re-enable Microphone to recover immediately.