Transcription suddenly got worse or feels less accurate

Mac

1. Force quit and restart Flow. Press Command + Q. If Flow doesn't close, click Apple menu → Force Quit, select Wispr Flow, and click Force Quit. Reopen the app.

2. Check microphone permissions. Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and confirm Wispr Flow is toggled on. If you changed the setting, quit and reopen Flow.

3. Confirm input device and volume. Go to Apple menu → System Settings → Sound → Input. Select your intended microphone, speak at normal volume, and adjust the input level so your voice registers clearly without constantly hitting the maximum.

4. Rule out Bluetooth or wrong-mic issues. Click Control Center → Sound in the menu bar and confirm the input device. If a Bluetooth device (like AirPods) is selected but in your pocket or bag, switch to the built-in microphone.

5. Listen to the recorded audio. Click History, find an entry with incorrect transcription, click the three-dot menu, and click Extract audio to save a .wav file. Open it in QuickTime and listen for clipped beginnings or endings, muffled speech, or background noise. If the audio sounds off, the issue is audio quality — not transcription.

6. Retry the transcription. In the same History entry, click Retry and compare the new transcript to the original. If the retry is significantly better, the original issue was temporary.

7. Set your preferred languages. Click the Flow icon in your menu bar → Settings → General → Languages → Change. Select the languages you dictate in, or enable Auto-detect for automatic detection across 99 languages.

Windows

1. Close and restart Flow. Close the Flow window. Right-click the Start button, open Task Manager, and if Wispr Flow is still running, select it and click End task. Reopen the app.

2. Check microphone permissions. Go to Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone. Confirm microphone access is on for apps, then scroll down and confirm Wispr Flow has access.

3. Confirm input device and volume. Go to Start → Settings → System → Sound. Under Input, confirm the correct microphone is selected. Speak at normal volume and adjust input so your voice registers clearly without constantly peaking.

4. Rule out Bluetooth or webcam mic issues. If you use a Bluetooth headset, go to Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices to confirm which device is connected. In Settings → System → Sound, switch from a Bluetooth headset or webcam mic to the built-in laptop microphone and try dictating.

5. Listen to the recorded audio. Click History, find an entry with incorrect transcription, click the three-dot menu, and click Extract audio to save a .wav file. Open it in Media Player and listen for cut-off words, low volume, or background noise. If the audio sounds off, the issue is audio quality — not transcription.

6. Retry the transcription. In the same History entry, click Retry and compare the new transcript to the original.

7. Set your preferred languages. Open Wispr Flow → settings icon → General → Languages → Change. Select the languages you dictate in, or enable Auto-detect for automatic detection across 99 languages.

iOS

1. Force quit and reopen Flow. On iPhones with Face ID, swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle; with a Home button, double-press it. Swipe Wispr Flow up to close, then reopen it from the Home screen.

2. Check microphone permissions. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and confirm Wispr Flow is toggled on. If you changed the setting, quit and reopen Flow.

3. Check your microphone. If you use AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, open Control Center and check the audio input. Disconnect Bluetooth devices and dictate using the built-in iPhone microphone. Avoid covering the bottom or top of the phone, which blocks the mic.

4. Test in a quieter space. Move away from loud fans, traffic, or other speakers, then dictate a short sentence slightly louder and more clearly than usual.

5. Set your preferred languages. Open Wispr Flow, tap the settings icon, go to language preferences, and select the languages you dictate in.

Android

1. Check your microphone input. Confirm your intended microphone — for example, a hearing aid or Bluetooth headset — is connected and active before recording. If accuracy drops partway through, your input may have switched mid-dictation (commonly a hearing aid handing off to the phone mic). Stop the recording, confirm the correct input, and start again.

2. Set your preferred languages. Open Wispr Flow, tap the settings icon, go to language preferences, and select the languages you dictate in.

3. Add custom words to your Dictionary. If Flow consistently misrecognizes names or technical terms, open Wispr Flow → settings icon → Dictionary, tap the add button, enter the word or phrase, and save. Entries are available immediately and sync across your devices.

4. Report a transcription issue. Find a transcribed entry on the home screen and tap Report. Select an issue type — Important word transcribed incorrectly, Name transcribed incorrectly, Wrong language, or Other — add your feedback, and submit. Submit stays disabled until both are provided. For failed transcriptions, use Retry from the overflow menu instead.

Dictation text was missing or dropped — especially with quiet audio or dictated numbers

A bug could silently discard valid dictation, producing an empty or incomplete transcript even with clear audio, most often on quieter recordings or dictation containing numbers. A separate issue could cause very brief accidental taps to produce fabricated text instead of an empty result. Both are fixed in the latest version of Wispr Flow.

1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version.

2. Restart Flow after updating.

3. If you have a specific affected recording, click Retry in History to re-process it.

Why was my dictation cut off or submitted before I finished?

On desktop, each dictation session has a 20-minute limit, with a warning notification at 19 minutes. At 20 minutes, Flow ends the session and shows a Recover text button — click it to insert the transcript up to that point into your active text box. For longer content, start a new session.

Why do Bluetooth devices like AirPods cause accuracy issues?

Bluetooth devices often use a lower-quality microphone mode and can clip the beginning or end of your speech, causing missing words at the start of sentences. Use the built-in microphone or a dedicated USB microphone instead.

Why does Flow pick the wrong microphone?

Laptops and desktops can quietly switch input devices when you connect or disconnect hardware. A Bluetooth device in your pocket can become the active mic, leaving Flow with almost no usable audio. Confirm the input device in your system sound settings.

Why does transcription feel worse even though I changed nothing?

The cause is almost always audio-related: a different microphone selected, a new Bluetooth connection, lower input volume, more background noise, or small changes in how you're speaking. Extract the audio from History and listen for quality issues.

Does input volume affect accuracy?

Yes. Low input volume can sound fine to you but be too noisy or unclear to transcribe accurately. Adjust input volume in your system sound settings so your voice registers clearly without constantly peaking.

Can a large dictionary cause issues?

Hundreds or thousands of Dictionary entries can cause odd substitutions. Trim your Dictionary to the most important terms and add words back as needed.

Does network quality affect transcription?

Yes. On slower or unstable networks, especially mobile networks, audio can be compressed or partially lost, reducing accuracy. Retry the transcription from History on a more stable connection.

Why is my History section disabled or empty?

A "History disabled" message means your data storage policy is set to Zero Data Retention, either by you in Settings → Data & Privacy or by your organization. Under a delete-after-24-hours policy, entries older than 24 hours are deleted automatically and recent entries appear normally. Zero Data Retention is desktop-only; on iOS, use Auto Delete Transcripts in Settings → Data & Privacy.