Flow is transcribing in the wrong language

Last updated: August 22, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

If you dictate in one language but Flow types another — or mixes scripts mid-sentence — select only the language you're dictating in and remove the rest. Most cases resolve in under a minute.

Quick checks

  • Is Auto-detect on? Accents or short phrases can push Auto-detect to the wrong language; turning it off fixes most cases. It's a toggle in the language dialog header on desktop, a dedicated 🔍 Auto-detect entry on iOS, and unavailable on Android.

  • Is more than one language selected? Accuracy rises as the pool shrinks. Similar-sounding pairs (Spanish/Italian/Portuguese, Hindi/Hinglish) are the most common cause of wrong-language transcription.

  • Did you pick the right regional variant? British spelling coming out American, or Hinglish coming out Hindi, is variant selection — see Common situations.

  • Are you changing the right setting? "App Language" controls the app's display language only and does not affect dictation languages.

  • Never picked a language? Flow pre-selects one from your device's system language — an en-GB or en-AU locale selects English - British, a de-CH locale selects German - Swiss.

  • Does dictation work with a single language selected? If yes, the fix is in your language list. If it still fails, skip to Still stuck?

How to fix it

Mac and Windows

Narrow Flow's language pool to the language you're dictating in.

  1. Open the Flow Hub by clicking the Flow Bar or selecting Home from the tray menu, then click Settings.

  2. Go to General → Languages.

  3. Turn off Auto-detect if it's on. Search and language tiles stay disabled until you do.

  4. Deselect every language except the one you're dictating in. Type in the search box to filter the list, or use the "x" buttons in the "Selected languages" panel.

  5. Click Save and close.

  6. Verify: Dictate a short phrase. If Flow transcribes it in your selected language, you're done. If not, see Still stuck?

Tip: Toggle languages without opening Settings by clicking the language pill or globe icon on the Flow Bar.

Note: The dialog has no cancel button — nothing is written until you click Save and close. At least one language must be selected; saving with Auto-detect off and nothing selected shows an error asking you to pick a language or re-enable Auto-detect. Turning Auto-detect on and off again restores your previous selections.

iOS

Each tap saves immediately — there is no Save button.

  1. Tap Settings in the Flow app.

  2. Tap Set language in the General section.

  3. Deselect Auto-detect (the 🔍 entry) and every language except the one you're dictating in. Type in the search box to filter the list.

  4. Swipe the language sheet down to close it.

  5. Verify: Dictate a short phrase. The transcription should appear in your selected language.

Note: The selection can never be empty on iOS. Selecting a specific language turns Auto-detect off; selecting Auto-detect clears all other languages; deselecting your last specific language re-enables Auto-detect.

Android

Android does not offer Auto-detect, so choose your dictation language directly.

  1. Tap Settings in the Flow app. The Languages row shows your current selection as a subtitle.

  2. Tap Languages. The screen opens in view mode, showing only your selected languages.

  3. Tap any language to deselect it.

  4. Tap Add more to enter edit mode, which adds a search box and the full language list; tap a language, then tap Done.

  5. Tap Save to confirm. Save stays greyed out, with no error message, until at least one language is selected.

  6. Verify: Dictate a short phrase. The transcription should appear in your selected language.

Warning: Changes are draft only until you tap Save — navigating back discards them. The back button in edit mode returns you to view mode instead of exiting Languages.

Common situations

I speak English but Flow types Chinese characters (or vice versa)

Select only English, or remove Chinese from your list. English–Chinese code-switching is one of the hardest combinations for Flow, so a single-language setup is the most reliable fix.

I dictate in Spanish but Flow switches to Italian or Portuguese

Similar-sounding languages confuse Auto-detect. Turn Auto-detect off, deselect Italian and Portuguese, and keep only Spanish.

I want British spelling but Flow uses American spelling (or vice versa)

Select English - British or English (American English) explicitly. On Mac and Windows, English, English - British, and English - Canadian are mutually exclusive; iOS and Android offer English and English - British only. The same mutual exclusivity applies to Chinese - Simplified ↔ Chinese - Traditional, Hindi ↔ Hinglish, and German ↔ German - Swiss.

I speak Hinglish but Flow types only Hindi or only English

Select Hinglish, not Hindi or English. Hindi speech is then romanized into Hinglish output, and English speech is formatted as normal English.

I set my languages on desktop but iOS transcribes the wrong language

If you've never picked a language on the iOS device, sign out of Flow on iOS and sign back in; your preferences from other devices are applied and shown in Settings → Languages.

Note: If you've already chosen a language on iOS, sign-in sync won't overwrite it — set the language manually in Settings → Languages.

I switch between languages every day

Two options for regular multi-language dictation:

  • Keep 2–3 languages selected (recommended). Accuracy stays high with a small pool, especially when the languages sound very different — for example, English and Japanese.

  • Swap the selected language each time. Most reliable if Flow confuses your languages or your accent overlaps between them. Open Settings → Languages, change the selection, and save before dictating.

Only one language is selected and Flow still gets it wrong

The cause is usually audio: background noise, a low-quality microphone, or a headset with poor recording quality. Try a different microphone in a quiet space. If it persists, see Transcription quality issues.

Flow suggested I switch to Canadian English — why?

If your computer's region is Canada and you dictate in English without selecting English - Canadian, Flow shows a one-time suggestion to switch.

Still stuck?

If Flow outputs the wrong language with a single language selected, click the ? icon in the Flow Hub sidebar, then Talk to support. Most language issues are resolved in one reply. Include:

  • Your platform (Mac, Windows, iOS, or Android)

  • The languages currently selected in Settings

  • What you said and what Flow transcribed

For how multi-language support works, see Use Flow with multiple languages.