Transcription suddenly got worse or feels less accurate

Mac

Work through these steps in order. The first steps fix the most common causes.

Step 1: Force quit and restart Wispr Flow

1. Save any work in progress.

2. Press Command + Q to quit Flow.

3. If Flow doesn't close, click Apple menu → Force Quit, select Wispr Flow, and click Force Quit.

4. Reopen Wispr Flow and dictate a short test phrase.

If the test phrase transcribes accurately, you're done. If not, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Check microphone permissions

1. Click Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

2. Confirm Wispr Flow is toggled on.

3. If you changed this setting, quit and reopen Flow, then test dictation again.

If permissions were already correct, continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Confirm input device and volume

1. Click Apple menu → System Settings → Sound → Input.

2. Select the microphone you intend to use (e.g., MacBook Microphone or a USB mic).

3. Speak at normal volume and watch the input level meter.

4. Adjust input volume so your voice registers clearly without constantly hitting the maximum.

Test dictation again. If accuracy improves, you're done. If not, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Rule out Bluetooth or wrong-mic issues

1. If you use Bluetooth devices (e.g., AirPods), click Control Center → Sound in the menu bar.

2. Confirm the input device matches what you expect.

3. If a Bluetooth device is selected but is in your pocket or bag, switch to the built-in microphone.

4. Disconnect Bluetooth devices entirely and dictate using the MacBook microphone.

If switching microphones fixes the issue, your Bluetooth device was the cause. If not, continue to Step 5.

Step 5: Listen to the recorded audio

1. Click History in the Flow app.

2. Find an entry with incorrect transcription and click the three-dot menu.

3. Click Download audio to save the recording as a .wav file, then open it in QuickTime.

Listen for clipped beginnings or endings, muffled or quiet speech, or strong background noise. If the audio sounds distorted or incomplete, the issue is audio quality — not transcription.

Step 6: Retry the transcription

1. In the same History entry, click Retry to regenerate the transcript.

2. Compare the new transcript to the original.

If the retry is significantly better, the original issue was temporary. If not, continue to Step 7.

Step 7: Set your preferred languages

1. Click the Flow icon in your menu bar, then click Settings.

2. Go to General → Languages and click Change.

3. Select the languages you dictate in, or enable Auto-detect for automatic detection across 100+ languages.

Dictate a test phrase. If accuracy improves, your language settings were the cause.

Windows

Work through these steps in order. The first steps fix the most common causes.

Step 1: Close and restart Wispr Flow

1. Save any work in progress.

2. Close the Flow window.

3. Right-click the Start button and open Task Manager.

4. If Wispr Flow is still running, select it and click End task.

5. Reopen Wispr Flow and dictate a short test phrase.

If the test phrase transcribes accurately, you're done. If not, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Check microphone permissions

1. Click Start → Settings → Privacy & security → Microphone.

2. Confirm Microphone access is turned on for apps.

3. Scroll down and confirm Wispr Flow has microphone access.

If permissions were already correct, continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Confirm input device and volume

1. Click Start → Settings → System → Sound.

2. Under Input, confirm the correct microphone is selected.

3. Speak at normal volume and check the input level meter.

4. Adjust input volume so your voice registers clearly without constantly peaking.

Test dictation again. If accuracy improves, you're done. If not, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Rule out Bluetooth or webcam mic issues

1. If you use Bluetooth headsets, click Start → Settings → Bluetooth & devices and confirm which device is connected.

2. In Settings → System → Sound, confirm the correct input device is selected.

3. Switch from a Bluetooth headset or webcam mic to the built-in laptop microphone and try a short dictation.

If switching microphones fixes the issue, your external device was the cause. If not, continue to Step 5.

Step 5: Listen to the recorded audio

1. Click History in the Flow app.

2. Find an entry with incorrect transcription and click the three-dot menu.

3. Click Download audio to save the recording as a .wav file, then open it in Media Player.

Listen for words cut off at the start or end, very low volume, or loud background noise. If the audio sounds bad, improving audio quality will fix the transcription.

Step 6: Retry the transcription

1. In the same History entry, click Retry to regenerate the transcript.

2. Compare the new transcript to the original.

If the retry is significantly better, the original issue was temporary. If not, continue to Step 7.

Step 7: Set your preferred languages

1. Open Wispr Flow and click the settings icon.

2. Go to General → Languages and click Change.

3. Select the languages you dictate in, or enable Auto-detect for automatic detection across 100+ languages.

Dictate a test phrase. If accuracy improves, your language settings were the cause.

iOS

Work through these steps in order. The first steps fix the most common causes.

Step 1: Force quit and reopen Wispr Flow

1. On iPhones with Face ID, swipe up from the bottom and pause in the middle of the screen. On iPhones with a Home button, double-press the Home button.

2. Find Wispr Flow and swipe it up to close it.

3. Reopen Wispr Flow from the Home screen and dictate a short test phrase.

If the test phrase transcribes accurately, you're done. If not, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Check microphone permissions

1. Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

2. Confirm Wispr Flow is toggled on.

3. If you changed this setting, quit and reopen Flow, then test again.

If permissions were already correct, continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Check your microphone

1. If you use AirPods or another Bluetooth headset, open Control Center and check the audio input icon.

2. Disconnect Bluetooth devices and dictate using the built-in iPhone microphone.

3. Avoid covering the bottom or top of the phone while dictating — this can block the microphone.

If switching to the built-in microphone fixes the issue, your Bluetooth device was the cause. If not, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Test in a quieter space

1. Move away from loud fans, traffic, or other speakers.

2. Dictate a short sentence while speaking slightly louder and more clearly than usual.

If this transcript is more accurate, your environment or speaking style was the cause. If not, continue to Step 5.

Step 5: Set your preferred languages

1. Open Wispr Flow and tap the settings icon.

2. Navigate to language preferences and set the languages you dictate in.

Dictate a test phrase. If accuracy improves, your language settings were the cause.

Android

Work through these steps in order. The first steps fix the most common causes.

Step 1: Set your preferred languages

1. Open Wispr Flow and tap the settings icon.

2. Navigate to language preferences and select the languages you dictate in.

Dictate a test phrase. If accuracy improves, your language settings were the cause. If not, continue to Step 2.

Step 2: Add custom words to your Dictionary

If Flow consistently misrecognizes names, technical terms, or other specialized vocabulary, add them to your Dictionary:

1. Open Wispr Flow and tap the settings icon.

2. Navigate to Dictionary.

3. Tap the add button and enter the word or phrase Flow should recognize.

4. Save the entry.

Dictionary words are available immediately and sync across your devices. If problems persist, continue to Step 3.

Step 3: Check your microphone input

If accuracy drops noticeably partway through a recording, your audio input device may have changed mid-dictation. This can happen when a hearing aid or other Bluetooth device switches over to the phone microphone (or vice versa) while you're speaking.

1. Confirm your intended microphone — for example, a hearing aid or Bluetooth headset — is connected and active before you start recording.

2. If a mid-recording switch occurs, stop the current dictation, confirm the correct input device is active, and start a new recording.

On Android 16, Flow detects when the audio input device changes during a recording, which helps explain unexpected drops in transcription quality. If problems persist, continue to Step 4.

Step 4: Report a transcription issue

If a specific transcription looks wrong after trying the steps above:

1. Find a successfully transcribed entry on the home screen.

2. Tap the Report button on the entry. For failed transcriptions, use Retry from the overflow menu instead.

3. Describe what went wrong on the Report transcription screen and submit.

The feedback goes directly to the support team for review.

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues have been resolved. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version to fix them:

• Transcription style reverting or being ignored on Android: Selected writing styles (such as "Very Casual") could revert to a different style, be lost after restart, or have no effect on output. Style preferences now persist reliably across restarts and network interruptions.

• Dictated numbers deleted or truncated from transcripts: Numbers spoken during dictation could be dropped or cut off. This was caused by a speech recognition model that didn't work correctly with the text alignment process.

• Dictation disrupted when typing in Microsoft Copilot (Windows): Inserting text into Microsoft Copilot could cause a brief interruption that disrupted dictation.

• Writing style overrides not producing the expected tone on iOS: Selecting a writing style from the keyboard style picker did not produce the expected tone. Style overrides in the iOS keyboard are currently available for English dictation only.

• Partial transcription disappearing mid-dictation on Android: In-progress transcription text could vanish while you were still speaking.

• Transcription quality dropping during dictation on Mac: Background tasks could run while you were actively dictating, reducing accuracy. Background tasks now pause automatically during dictation.

• Custom Dictionary words not recognized at the start of a session (Mac and Windows): Dictionary words could be missed during the first dictation after opening the app.

• Text missing or duplicated during active dictation: Transcription progress could be tracked incorrectly, causing some words to be missed or appear more than once.

• Words appearing wrong or dropped from the transcript: Certain words could be misread during speech processing. Fixed in v1.4.0.

• Names and other words missing or incorrect: Proper nouns could fail to be extracted correctly, causing them to appear wrong or be dropped entirely.

• Hinglish (Hindi-English mix) failing or producing incorrect results: Selecting Hinglish would fail or produce garbled output.

• Text automatically converted to UK English spelling: Dictated text could be converted to UK English (e.g., "colour" instead of "color").

• Audio missing from history when dictating multiple times at once: Audio recordings could go missing from history entries when multiple dictations happened simultaneously.

• Audio not saved when a transcription fails: The audio recording could be lost if a transcription failed. Audio is now saved even when transcription fails, so you can retry later. Audio is retained for 14 days.

• Longer iOS recordings (20–30+ seconds) returning empty transcriptions: Resolved.

• Text appearing with extra spaces, wrong capitalization, or doubled replacements: Resolved.

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

On desktop, each dictation session has a 20-minute limit. At 19 minutes you receive a warning with an audible alert. At 20 minutes, Flow ends the session and shows a notification with a "Recover text" button — click it to retrieve your transcription. To capture longer content, finish your current session and start a new one.

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. This causes missing words, especially at the start of sentences. For best results, use the built-in microphone or a dedicated USB microphone.

Why does Flow pick the wrong microphone?

Laptops and desktops can quietly switch input devices when you connect or disconnect hardware. Sometimes a Bluetooth device in your pocket becomes the active mic, and Flow receives almost no usable audio. Check your system sound settings to confirm the correct input device is selected.

Why does transcription feel worse even though I changed nothing?

In most cases, the audio has changed — not the transcription model. Common causes include a different microphone being selected, a new Bluetooth connection, lower input volume, more background noise, or small changes in how you're speaking. Download the audio from History and listen for any quality issues.

Why did Flow connect to a different transcription server?

Flow automatically routes each request to the fastest available transcription server based on your location. The app periodically checks connection speed across regions and selects whichever responds fastest. This is expected and has no effect on accuracy or your data.

Does input volume affect accuracy?

Yes. When input volume is too low, the audio may sound okay to you but appear noisy or unclear to the transcription model. Adjust input volume in your system sound settings so your voice registers clearly without constantly peaking.

Does background noise affect accuracy?

Yes. Background conversations, fans, traffic, and echo can interfere with transcription. If the microphone picks up multiple voices at once, accuracy drops — especially for names, numbers, and punctuation. Move to a quieter space for best results.

Can my speaking style affect accuracy?

Yes. As you get comfortable with Flow, you may start mumbling, trailing off, or dictating while far from the microphone. Speaking slightly louder and more clearly improves accuracy.

Does network quality affect transcription?

Yes. On slower or unstable networks, especially mobile networks, audio can be compressed or partially lost. Retry the transcription from History on a more stable connection. Audio is available for retry for up to 14 days.

Can I improve accuracy for names or technical terms Flow gets wrong?

Yes. Add those words to your Dictionary in Wispr Flow settings. Dictionary words sync across Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. You can also add optional replacement text to control formatting or spelling on Mac, Windows, and iOS. On desktop, toggle "Correct a misspelling" when adding a word to set up automatic spelling corrections during dictation.

Can a large dictionary cause issues?

If you have hundreds or thousands of Dictionary entries, the model works harder to decide when to apply them. This can sometimes cause odd substitutions. Trim your Dictionary to the most important terms and add words back as needed.

Why does accuracy differ between tasks or languages?

Transcription that works well for quick notes may feel less accurate for long, complex documents or heavy jargon. Flow supports 100+ languages, but each language and accent behaves differently, especially in noisy conditions. Setting your preferred languages in the app helps optimize recognition.

Why is my History section disabled or empty?

If History shows a "History disabled" message, your organization has a NeverStore data policy — transcription history and audio are not retained. On a personal account, you may have enabled this yourself in Settings → Data & Privacy. Under a DeleteAfter24h policy, history entries older than 24 hours are automatically deleted, but recent entries appear normally.