Play back your recordings from History on iOS
Last updated: October 6, 2026
Available on: iOS, Mac, Windows (this article covers iOS)
On iOS, Wispr Flow saves each dictation’s recording locally for History playback—nothing is streamed or downloaded. If your transcript is garbled or empty, listen to the recording to check whether the problem came from unclear audio or the transcription.
How to play back a recording
Note: Play requires saved audio on your device and a finished recording with a known duration. It is hidden while that entry is being retried. A recording that captured no audio has no Play action; failed or silent transcriptions can still offer Play if these requirements are met.
Open the Wispr Flow app.
Go to History.
Swipe left on a History entry to reveal its actions.
Tap Play beside Retry to open the playback screen.
Play is available only through the swipe actions, not the row’s context menu. Tapping the row copies available transcript text, or retries a failed entry without text when no retry is running.
The screen opens and starts playing automatically unless you’re actively dictating or the audio is missing or unplayable. During dictation, completed entries keep their Play action, but the playback screen’s Play button does nothing and shows no error.
Playback controls
You can select the full transcript, with the recording’s date and time above it. An empty-transcript message appears when there is no text.
Play / Pause: Pausing keeps your position, so Play resumes where you left off.
Scrub bar: Tap to jump, or drag to seek within the recording. Dragging applies the jump when you release or the gesture is interrupted. Elapsed time appears on the left; remaining time appears as -m:ss on the right. With VoiceOver, “Playback position” announces the current time; swipe up or down to move in 15-second increments.
Speed: Tap to cycle 1x → 1.5x → 2x → 1x. Your choice applies on the current playback screen, including when stopped or replaying after the end; each newly opened playback screen starts at 1x.
VoiceOver labels: The other controls are announced as “Play recording” or “Pause recording,” “Playback speed” with the current speed, and “More options.”
⋯ menu actions
The ⋯ menu offers Copy, Retry, Report, and Delete. Retry and Delete are disabled while a retry is running.
Warning: Deleting an entry removes its transcript and saved audio.
Copy: Appears in both the swipe actions and this menu only when there is transcript text. Copying shows “Transcript copied to clipboard”.
Retry: Shows “Retrying transcription” and updates the transcript on the same screen.
Report: Opens “Report to improve model” with a feedback field and Send button. Sending a report shares the audio, transcript text, and logs; the report notes when the audio file is missing.
Delete: Asks “Delete this transcript?” before deleting. Confirming returns you to History with “Transcript deleted”.
When playback stops
Only one recording plays at a time—successfully starting another stops the current one.
Playback stops if you leave History, or delete, retry, or purge the entry. Leaving the playback screen also stops playback and resets it to 0:00.
Playback also stops and resets to 0:00 when Flow leaves the foreground, a dictation starts, a call or Siri interrupts, or headphones or a Bluetooth output device disconnects. It does not resume automatically after an interruption or continue through the speaker after a disconnection.
There is no background playback or Lock Screen/Control Center playback control. Reaching the end resets the position to 0:00; tapping Play starts the recording again.
FAQs
Will playback work with my silent switch turned on?
Yes. Audio plays through the speaker even when the silent switch is on and can play alongside other apps’ audio. A problem starting audio can still leave playback silent.
Why is the playback screen silent?
The playback screen can open silently without an error if audio disappears after History loads, is unplayable, or fails to start.
Finish any active dictation.
Tap Play; if you hear the recording, playback is working.
How does desktop playback differ?
On Mac and Windows, History offers a row-level Play/Pause button and a row-menu option to download the recording as a .wav file. Both are unavailable for entries older than 14 days. If the audio is gone, Flow shows an audio-unavailable notification.
Still need help?
If an entry offers Play but remains silent after you finish dictating and tap Play, contact support. Include your platform, device, the entry’s date and time, and what you tried.