Flow is transcribing in the wrong language
Last updated: July 4, 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.
Does dictation work correctly with a single language selected? This is the fastest way to tell whether the problem is language selection or something else (like audio quality). If a single-language setup transcribes correctly, the fix is in your language list. If it still fails, skip to Still stuck? below.
How to fix it
Every platform's language list includes a search box, so you can type to filter the full list instead of scrolling. On Mac and Windows, searching for "hindi" or "romanized" will also surface Hinglish. On iOS and Android, search matches only the display name, so search for "Hinglish" directly.
Mac and Windows
Follow these steps to narrow Flow's language pool to the one you're dictating in.
Open the Flow Hub by clicking the Flow Bar or selecting Home from the tray menu, then click Settings.
Go to General → Languages.
Turn off Auto-detect if it's on.
Deselect every language except the one you're dictating in right now.
Click Save and close.
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 toggle languages without opening Settings — click the Flow tray or menu bar icon and use the Languages submenu, or click the language pill or globe icon on the Flow Bar.
Note: You must have at least one language selected to save. The dialog has no cancel button — changes aren't written until you click Save and close. If you turn Auto-detect off without selecting a language, saving will show an error asking you to pick at least one or re-enable Auto-detect.
iOS
On iOS, each tap saves immediately — there is no Save button.
Tap Settings in the Flow app.
Go to General → Set Language.
Deselect Auto-detect (the entry with the 🔍 icon) and every language except the one you're dictating in.
Swipe the language sheet down to close it.
Verify: Dictate a short phrase. The transcription should appear in your selected language.
Note: On iOS, the language selection can never be empty. Auto-detect always appears at the top of the list, and:
Picking any specific language automatically turns Auto-detect off.
Selecting Auto-detect clears any other languages, so it becomes the sole selection.
Deselecting the last specific language automatically re-enables Auto-detect.
Android
Note: Android does not offer Auto-detect. You must have at least one language selected to save. The search box appears only after you tap Add more to enter edit mode — the default view (with your currently selected languages) doesn't include a search field.
Tap Settings in the Flow app.
Tap Languages. The screen opens in view mode, showing only your currently selected languages.
Deselect any language you want to remove by tapping it.
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.
Tap Save to confirm.
Verify: Dictate a short phrase. The transcription should appear in your selected language.
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. On Mac and Windows, English (American), English - British, and English - Canadian are all mutually exclusive as a three-way pair. On iOS and Android, only English (American) and English - British are available; English - Canadian is not offered on mobile.
I'm in Canada and Flow showed me a "Try Canadian English" prompt
If your device region is set to Canada and you're dictating in English, Flow may show a one-time notification suggesting you switch to Canadian English. This prompt appears at most once.
If you tap Switch: Canadian English is added to your language settings, and any conflicting English or British English selections are automatically removed.
If you dismiss the prompt: nothing changes. You can switch to Canadian English manually at any time in Settings → Languages.
Note: Canadian English is available on Mac and Windows only. It is not offered on iOS or 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 set my languages on desktop but iOS is transcribing in the wrong language
If you've never picked a language directly on your iOS device, sign out of Flow on iOS and sign back in. Your language preferences from other devices will be applied and shown in Settings → Languages.
Note: If you've already chosen a language on iOS, the sign-in sync won't overwrite it. In that case, set the language manually in Settings → Languages.
I switch between languages every 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.
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 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.