Accessibility Permission on Android

Last updated: April 30, 2026

Available on: Android 13 and above

If the Flow Bubble isn't appearing, dictation isn't inserting text into apps, or Flow stops working after switching apps — you likely need to enable or re-enable the accessibility permission. Most issues resolve in under 2 minutes.

Quick checks

  • Is Flow up to date? Several accessibility bugs were fixed in recent versions — update from the Play Store first.

  • Did you enable "Display Over Other Apps"? This permission is required before accessibility and is requested first during setup.

  • Do you see a "Wispr Flow needs attention" notification? Tap it to jump directly to the right settings screen for your device and re-enable Wispr Flow.

  • Do you see a "Flow Bubble Disabled" card on the home screen? Tap Turn Back On. The bubble reappears the next time you open the keyboard in a text field.

  • Do you see a "Flow can't insert text" card? Tap Go to Settings to re-enable the accessibility permission.

  • Is the on-screen keyboard open? The Flow Bubble shows and hides with the on-screen keyboard. Tap a text field to bring it up.

  • Does the bubble appear in any app? Open Notes or Messages and tap a text field. If the bubble appears there but not elsewhere, the issue is app-specific. If it doesn't appear anywhere, continue with the steps below.

Tip: To make the bubble appear even without the on-screen keyboard, go to Settings > Internal and enable Show bubble without keyboard.

How to enable accessibility permission

When Flow requests this permission, it shows a disclosure screen explaining what's accessed and how your data is protected. Tap Agree to open your device Settings, or Not now to skip and enable it later.

A floating guide then appears on screen to help you find and enable the Wispr Flow accessibility service. Once you grant the permission, the guide dismisses automatically. If you press the back button while the guide is expanded, it minimizes into a small floating window so you can keep following along while navigating Settings.

Warning: Don't enable the accessibility shortcut. When Android shows a confirmation dialog about the accessibility shortcut, select Don't turn on. The shortcut is not required — enable the full "Use Wispr Flow" accessibility service instead.

Samsung

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Tap Accessibility, then tap Installed apps.

  3. Find and tap Wispr Flow.

  4. Toggle Wispr Flow to ON.

  5. Confirm any prompts that appear.

  6. Return to Wispr Flow.

To verify: open Notes or Messages and tap into a text field. If the Flow Bubble appears, you're done.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Tap Accessibility, then tap Downloaded apps.

  3. Find and tap Wispr Flow.

  4. Toggle Wispr Flow to ON.

  5. Tap OK in the confirmation dialog.

  6. Return to Wispr Flow. The app automatically opens Battery settings and prompts you to enable autostart and grant the No restrictions battery setting — both are required to keep Flow running in the background.

  7. Follow each prompt, granting autostart and selecting No restrictions when asked. The app detects each change and advances automatically.

To verify: open Notes or Messages and tap into a text field. If the Flow Bubble appears, you're done.

OnePlus / Huawei / Oppo

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Tap Accessibility, then tap Downloaded apps (or Installed apps, depending on your device).

  3. Find and tap Wispr Flow.

  4. Toggle Wispr Flow to ON.

  5. Confirm any prompts that appear.

  6. Return to Wispr Flow.

To verify: open Notes or Messages and tap into a text field. If the Flow Bubble appears, you're done.

Vivo / Motorola

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Tap Accessibility.

  3. Find and tap Wispr Flow directly in the list.

  4. Toggle Wispr Flow to ON.

  5. Confirm any prompts that appear.

  6. Return to Wispr Flow.

To verify: open Notes or Messages and tap into a text field. If the Flow Bubble appears, you're done.

Other Android devices

  1. Open your device Settings.

  2. Tap Accessibility, then tap Downloaded apps.

  3. Find and tap Wispr Flow.

  4. Toggle Wispr Flow to ON.

  5. Confirm any prompts that appear.

  6. Return to Wispr Flow.

To verify: open Notes or Messages and tap into a text field. If the Flow Bubble appears, you're done.

Note: If Flow is closed in the background and you bring it to the foreground, it restarts automatically. If the accessibility permission was revoked while Flow was closed, Flow takes you directly to the in-app recovery screen — no need to dig through system Settings.

Note: While the service is running, Wispr Flow shows a persistent "Quick Actions" notification in your notification shade. It includes a Copy Last button that copies your most recently dictated text to the clipboard.

Why Flow needs this permission

Flow inserts your voice dictations directly into emails, messages, documents, and other apps. Android's accessibility API is the only way for apps to insert text into other applications, so without this permission, dictation does not work. Flow limits what it accesses to only what's necessary.

What Flow accesses

  • Screen content: Visible text and the layout of text fields, so Flow knows where to insert dictations. In some apps — such as Gmail on Samsung phones — text fields require Flow to look deeper to confirm text was inserted correctly.

  • App and website context: The name of the app you're using and website URLs (in supported browsers) for analytics and diagnostics.

  • Input field information: Details about input fields — including search bars — so Flow can detect where you're typing and avoid appearing in sensitive fields like passwords, PINs, phone numbers, credit card inputs, and banking apps.

How your data is protected

  • Sensitive fields protected: Flow does not read text from password, PIN, phone number, or credit card fields, and does not insert dictated text into them.

  • Banking and payment apps excluded: Flow does not appear in banking apps, payment apps, or digital wallets (136 apps blocked across 9 major regions, including PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, and Google Wallet).

  • Privacy Mode: With Privacy Mode enabled, data is stored only on your device. No audio or transcription data is stored on Wispr's servers or shared with third parties.

  • Revocable anytime: Turn off accessibility permission anytime in Settings. Flow distinguishes whether the permission was turned off by you, by the system, or by the app, and responds appropriately. If the overlay permission is revoked while Flow is running, Flow shuts down cleanly without leaving anything behind.

Transcription occurs on Wispr Flow's secure servers. Limited data may be used for crash logging, diagnostics, and app performance.

FAQs

Is my data safe?

Yes. Flow does not access passwords, PIN codes, credit card fields, or content in banking apps. With Privacy Mode enabled, no audio or transcription data is stored by Flow or any third party. Privacy Mode is off by default for individual users and on by default for enterprise users — you can switch at any time.

What if I don't grant this permission?

Without accessibility permission, Flow cannot insert dictated text into other apps and core dictation does not work. You can skip this permission during setup and enable it later from Settings.

Why doesn't the Flow Bubble appear when I use an external keyboard?

The Flow Bubble shows and hides based on whether the on-screen keyboard is visible. With an external keyboard, the on-screen keyboard doesn't open, so the bubble doesn't show. To override this, go to Settings > Internal and enable Show bubble without keyboard.

I accidentally enabled the accessibility shortcut. How do I fix it?

Go to Settings → Accessibility, find Wispr Flow, and turn off the shortcut toggle. During setup, Flow may also show an "Oops, something isn't right" screen with an Open Settings button that takes you straight there.

What happens if the system closes Flow in the background?

Flow automatically restarts the next time you bring it to the foreground, and the Flow Bubble returns without any action on your part. If the accessibility permission was revoked while Flow was closed, Flow takes you directly to the in-app recovery screen to re-grant it.

What if Flow can't insert text into a text field?

Flow tries to insert your dictated text up to 3 times and verifies it worked. If insertion still fails, Flow copies the dictation to your clipboard and shows a notification with a copy button — your dictation is never lost. Long-press in the text field and tap Paste to insert it.

Is there a session time limit?

Flow supports up to 5 minutes per session. A warning appears at 4 minutes, and the session ends automatically at 5 minutes.

Common issues

Flow Bubble disappears and doesn't come back after the app is closed in the background

This was caused by the background service being shut down by battery management, a force-stop, or low memory — particularly on Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, OnePlus, and Transsion devices. Flow now automatically restarts when you bring the app to the foreground. If the accessibility permission was also revoked, Flow takes you directly to the in-app recovery screen to re-grant it.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Play Store.

  2. Restart the app after updating.

  3. Re-grant the accessibility permission if prompted, following the steps above for your device brand.

Flow stops working silently on OnePlus, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, or Samsung devices

This was caused by aggressive battery optimization disabling the accessibility service in the background while Settings still showed it as on. Fixed in version 1.8.2 — Flow now detects this and sends a high-priority "Wispr Flow needs attention" notification that links directly into your device's accessibility, battery, or permission settings.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to version 1.8.2 or later from the Play Store.

  2. Restart the app after updating.

  3. Tap the "Wispr Flow needs attention" notification if it appears, then re-enable Wispr Flow in the settings it opens.

Setup guide appears blank on OnePlus devices when using Picture-in-Picture mode

This was caused by the Picture-in-Picture window appearing before the first video frame had finished loading on OnePlus devices. Flow now waits until the content is ready before displaying the window, so it appears correctly every time.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Play Store.

  2. Restart the app after updating.

Flow stops working after a few minutes on Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO devices

This was caused by battery saver shutting down Flow in the background when the required background permissions weren't granted during setup. Flow now automatically guides you through all required steps — enabling autostart and granting No restrictions battery access — and detects when each step is complete to advance setup automatically.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Play Store.

  2. Restart the app after updating.

  3. Follow the updated setup steps for Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO above, granting autostart and No restrictions in Battery settings when prompted.

"Next" or "Continue" button floats in the middle of the screen during setup on foldables or tablets

This was caused by a layout issue on foldable devices and tablets in landscape orientation. Fixed in version 1.8.4 — the button now stays pinned to the bottom of the screen on all device types, and the setup content scrolls independently above it.

  1. Update Wispr Flow to version 1.8.4 or later from the Play Store.

  2. Restart the app after updating.

Bugs fixed in earlier updates (update to the latest version)

The following issues were fixed in earlier versions. To resolve any of them, update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Play Store and restart the app.

  • Bubble doesn't detect search bars or flashes when changing state: Search-bar detection and bubble transitions when docked to the right edge are now reliable.

  • App crashes on Android 13+ when unlocking the screen: Fixed in how the accessibility service handles screen unlock events.

  • "Flow Bubble Disabled" card stays on Home screen even when bubble is working: The card now correctly reflects whether the bubble is running.

  • Flow Bubble disappears after signing out and back in: Fixed in version 1.7.2 — the service restarts properly after re-authentication.

  • Flow Bubble disappears unexpectedly on Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, or Oppo devices: Stability improvements in v1.6.2 and v1.7.0. Starting in v1.7.0, Flow auto-restarts the service within seconds if it stops, and the overlay rebuilds itself if it becomes detached.

  • Flow doesn't restart automatically after device reboot or app update: Starting in v1.7.0, Flow explicitly restarts its service in these cases.

  • Frozen overlay after "Display Over Other Apps" is turned off: Starting in v1.7.0, Flow detects this and shuts down cleanly.

  • "Flow can't insert text" prompt shown after the system disabled the permission: Flow now correctly identifies whether the permission was turned off by you, Android, or the app.

  • Dictated text doesn't appear after dictation: Flow now retries up to 3 times, verifies each attempt, and falls back to clipboard with a notification.

  • Flow Bubble crashes or lags during dictation on budget devices: Flow now reduces screen-reading operations during active dictation.

  • App freezes when tapping a text field in Chrome or Google Search: A time limit was added to the screen-layout scan, especially on TECNO, Infinix, and itel devices.

  • Flow Bubble doesn't recover after a crash ("App keeps crashing" dialog): The bubble now recovers properly without triggering Android's two-crash lockout.

  • Flow Bubble stopped appearing in apps after updating to v1.5.0: Starting in v1.5.0, the bubble shows and hides based solely on whether the on-screen keyboard is visible. Tap a text field to open the keyboard, or enable Settings > Internal > Show bubble without keyboard.

  • Flow Bubble doesn't reappear after switching apps: The bubble now reappears correctly when you focus a text field after switching apps.

  • Dictated text duplicated in Google Docs or Gmail: Fixed in version 1.5.2.

  • Dictated text duplicated or missing in Gmail on Samsung phones: Flow now handles these apps more reliably.

  • Flow Bubble stuck in ready state after dismissing keyboard: Fixed in version 1.5.2.

  • Flow Bubble stays on screen after keyboard dismissed: The bubble now correctly hides whenever the keyboard is dismissed.

  • Flow Bubble doesn't appear with on-screen keyboard open: Fixed in v1.5.0 and later.

  • Flow Bubble doesn't appear while the keyboard is opening: The bubble now appears as soon as the keyboard is detected.

  • Flow Bubble doesn't appear after tapping a text field: The bubble now reliably shows up across apps as soon as the keyboard starts opening.

  • Flow crashes or freezes in TikTok, WeChat, or Xiaohongshu: Flow now handles deeply nested or unusual screen layouts without crashing.

  • App crashes while granting accessibility permission or during navigation: Fixed a navigation bug that affected permission grants, sign-in/out, and back-button transitions.

  • Screen reader skips the setup guide image, or floating guide behaves unexpectedly: TalkBack now describes the guide image, and the floating guide behaves correctly across devices.

  • Flow Bubble disappears after accessibility service reconnects: Fixed in version 1.3.1.

  • App crashes when accessibility service reconnects: The app now retries and recovers automatically.

  • Flow Bubble disappears during long sessions (battery management): Fixed in v1.2.1, with further improvements in v1.6.2 and v1.7.0. Starting in v1.7.0, the service auto-restarts within seconds if stopped. Common on Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo, Realme, OnePlus, and Motorola devices.

  • App crashes during setup or when scrolling: Fixed in versions 1.0.3 and 1.0.4.

Still need help?

Reach out to our support team if:

  • Accessibility permission is enabled but dictation still doesn't work.

  • The Flow Bubble doesn't appear even when the on-screen keyboard is open.

  • You see an error message not covered in this guide.

Include your device brand, Android version, and the steps you've already tried so we can help quickly. Most accessibility issues are resolved in one reply.