Auto-mute music while dictating on macOS: how audio detection works

Available on: Mac and Windows desktop. Off by default on Mac, on by default on Windows.

Wispr Flow can mute music or audio playing in other apps while you dictate, then restore it when you finish, so background sound doesn't interfere with your transcription.

How it works in Flow

Key behaviors

Mute and restore: Other apps' audio is muted when you start dictating and restored when you stop, and only when Flow detects audio actually playing.
Detection tip: When another app is playing audio, Flow may show a tip suggesting auto-mute music. You can enable the setting from the tip.
Own audio excluded: On macOS 14.2 and later, Flow's own dictation sounds are excluded from detection, so they don't trigger the tip or affect muting.
System-level mute on macOS: The mute applies to your whole default output device, not just the music app.
Volume fallback: If your output device has no hardware mute (some USB interfaces and aggregate devices), Flow drops that device's volume to 0 and restores your exact previous level.
Prior mute state preserved: If you muted audio yourself before dictating, it stays muted.

How to enable auto-mute music

Click the Wispr Flow icon in your menu bar, then open Settings.
Go to System → Sound and turn on Mute music while dictating.
Verify: play audio in another app and start a dictation — the audio should go quiet, then return when you stop.

FAQs

Why does the auto-mute tip appear when nothing is playing?

On macOS 14.1 and earlier, Flow can't distinguish its own dictation sounds from other apps' audio, so the tip can appear after your first dictation in a session. Update to macOS 14.2 or later to resolve this.

My audio stayed muted after I finished dictating. What should I do?

This can happen after a headphone connection change. Start and stop another dictation, or toggle auto-mute off and back on in Settings → System → Sound.

Audio can also stay silenced if the output device is disconnected mid-dictation. Reconnect the device and run another dictation, or adjust the volume manually.

Flow is muting my music even though auto-mute is off. Why?

Confirm in Settings → System → Sound whether auto-mute music is enabled. If it's off and audio is still affected, check that your Mac isn't routing dictation output through the same channel as your music app.

Is auto-mute music available on iOS or Android?

No. Auto-mute music is desktop only, on Mac and Windows.

Limitations and notes

Auto-mute music is available on Mac and Windows. The detection details in this article — own-audio exclusion on macOS 14.2 and later, and recovery after headphone connection changes — apply to macOS.
On macOS 14.1 and earlier, Flow cannot exclude its own audio from detection, so the auto-mute tip may appear after your first dictation even when no other audio is playing.
Some apps, such as certain music and podcast players, keep an audio stream open while paused. Flow counts these as playing on all macOS versions, even when no sound is audible.