Flow is transcribing in the wrong language

Last updated: May 23, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

If you dictate in one language but Flow types your words in a different language — or mixes scripts mid-sentence — the fix is almost always the same: select only the language you're dictating in, and remove the others. Most cases resolve in under a minute.

Quick checks

  • Is Auto-detect on? Auto-detect can be pushed to the wrong language by accents or short phrases. On desktop, Auto-detect means zero languages are selected; on iOS, it's a dedicated 🔍 Auto-detect entry; on Android, Auto-detect is not available. Turning it off fixes most cases.

  • Do you have more than one language selected? The fewer languages in your pool, the more accurate Flow is. Two or three similar-sounding languages (Spanish/Italian/Portuguese, Hindi/Hinglish) are the most common cause of wrong-language transcription.

  • Did you pick the right regional variant? If you want British spelling but get American, or want Hinglish but get Hindi, the issue is variant selection, not detection. Skip to Common situations below.

How to fix it

Every platform's language list includes a search box, so you can type to filter the full list of 99 languages instead of scrolling. Searching for "hindi" or "romanized," for example, will also surface Hinglish.

Mac and Windows

Follow these steps to narrow Flow's language pool to the one you're dictating in.

  1. Open the Flow Hub from the tray menu's Home item, or by clicking the Flow Bar, and click Settings.

  2. Go to General → Languages.

  3. Turn off Auto-detect if it's on.

  4. Deselect every language except the one you're dictating in right now.

  5. Click Save and close.

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

Tip: You can also click the Flow tray or menu bar icon and toggle languages from the Languages submenu without opening Settings.

iOS

On iOS, each tap saves immediately — there is no Save button.

  1. Tap Settings in the Flow app.

  2. Go to General → Set Language.

  3. Deselect Auto-detect (the entry with the 🔍 icon) and every language except the one you're dictating in.

  4. Swipe the language sheet down to close it, or tap outside it.

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

Android

Note: Android does not offer Auto-detect. You must have at least one language selected to save.

  1. Tap Settings in the Flow app.

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

  3. Deselect any language you want to remove by tapping it.

  4. Add a different language by tapping Add more to enter edit mode, which has a search box and the full language list. Tap a language to select it, then tap Done to return to view mode.

  5. Tap Save to confirm.

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

Switching between languages day to day

If you regularly dictate in more than one language, you have two options:

  • Keep 2–3 languages selected (recommended). Flow's accuracy stays high when the pool is small. This works well when your languages sound very different from each other — for example, English and Japanese.

  • Swap the selected language each time you switch. This is the most reliable approach if Flow keeps confusing your languages, or if your accent in one language overlaps with another. Open Settings → Languages, change the selection, and save before dictating.

Common situations

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

Remove Chinese from your language list, or select only English. Chinese and English code-switching is one of the hardest combinations for Flow to handle, so a single-language setup is the most reliable fix.

I dictate in Spanish but Flow keeps switching to Italian or Portuguese

Languages that sound similar can confuse Auto-detect. Turn off Auto-detect, deselect Italian and Portuguese, and keep only Spanish selected.

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

Select English - British or English - American explicitly. These are mutually exclusive: selecting one automatically deselects the other. The same applies to German ↔ German - Swiss, Hindi ↔ Hinglish, and Chinese - Simplified ↔ Chinese - Traditional. These pairs are enforced on Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android.

I speak Hinglish but Flow types only Hindi or only English

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

I only have one language selected and Flow is still getting it wrong

If you've narrowed it down to a single language and Flow still transcribes incorrectly, the cause is usually audio-related: background noise, a low-quality microphone, or a Bluetooth headset with poor recording quality. Try a different microphone and dictate in a quiet space. If the problem persists, report it from within the app so the team can investigate.

Still stuck?

If Flow continues to output the wrong language even with a single language selected, reach out to support. In the Flow desktop app, click the ? icon in the Flow Hub sidebar, then select 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 a deeper dive on how multi-language support works in Flow, see Use Flow with multiple languages.