Setup Wispr Flow on Android (Android Settings)

Last updated: October 29, 2026

Available on: Android 13 or later. Dictation requires internet access.

Use Flow's floating bubble to dictate with your existing keyboard. Setup gives Flow permission to record your voice, appear over apps, and insert text.

Install and sign in

  1. Download Wispr Flow from Google Play and open it.

  2. Tap Get started.

  3. Sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft, SSO, or email and password.

  4. Complete any email verification using the emailed link or six-digit code.

  5. Tap Open Wispr Flow after browser sign-in; returning to the app is not automatic.

  6. Tap Next on the first two introductory screens.

  7. Tap Give it a try! on the third.

Choose languages and practice

Some setups put language selection before the tutorial; others put it after email and to-do practice instead of a press-and-hold lesson.

Languages

Flow supports 100+ languages. Select your languages preselects your saved account languages, otherwise your device languages and regional variants.

  1. Tap Add more to search in Select languages, if needed.

  2. Tap Done to close the picker without saving.

  3. Tap Next to save and continue; at least one language must be selected.

Tap a selected language to remove it. These pairs replace each other: English/British English, Hindi/Hinglish, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, and German/Swiss German. Back closes the picker; leaving before Next keeps your previous saved languages.

Practice dictation

Note: Tutorial and practice dictations are not saved to transcript history because they precede your privacy choice.

  1. Tap the tutorial text box.

  2. Tap the Flow Bubble to request microphone access.

  3. Choose While using the app or Only this time.

  4. Speak for the exercise, then tap the bubble to stop.

Newly granting microphone access auto-starts recording in the first lesson, but not after microphone recovery during later practice. For "Sorry, couldn't hear you. Tap again to speak!", tap again.

If you get the press-and-hold lesson

Tapping shows "Don't Tap". Retry by pressing and holding, including after granting microphone access during this lesson.

  1. Tap Continue after "Nice, that worked!".

  2. Tap Try it out on the press-and-hold introduction.

  3. Hold the bubble while speaking.

  4. Release to submit.

  5. Tap outside the text box when prompted; the keyboard and bubble disappear.

  6. Tap Next to finish the tutorial.

If you get email and to-do practice

These two tasks replace the press-and-hold lesson. After microphone recovery, tap again to record; X discards a practice recording and returns to its starting step.

  1. Tap outside the first lesson's text box when prompted.

  2. Complete or Skip the email practice.

  3. Complete or Skip the to-do practice.

  4. Tap Next on the practice completion screen, then choose your languages as described above.

Grant display and accessibility permissions

Display over other apps

This permission cannot be skipped: the Flow Bubble cannot run without it.

  1. Tap Next on the permissions introduction.

  2. Tap Open Settings on "Allow Wispr Flow to appear over other apps".

  3. Enable Display over other apps for Flow.

  4. Return to Flow; setup automatically advances to accessibility.

Accessibility

Accessibility lets Flow read on-screen text and field layouts, app and website names/URLs, and limited active-text-box contents to insert dictations. You can turn accessibility off anytime in Settings.

Flow does not insert into password or credit-card fields or appear in banking apps or password managers. The bubble is also hidden in numeric and phone fields; browser URL bars and notification replies remain supported.

  1. Tap Open settings after the numbered instructions finish; tapping the screen advances them faster.

  2. Select Agree after reading Accessibility Permissions Required.

  3. Find Flow: Samsung—Installed apps; Vivo/Motorola—Wispr Flow directly; others—Downloaded apps.

  4. Enable Use Wispr Flow, leaving Wispr Flow shortcut off.

  5. Confirm with OK on Xiaomi.

Flow cannot insert text without accessibility. Setup advances to privacy only when accessibility is on and Wispr Flow shortcut is off.

Accessibility notice, guide, and shortcut recovery

Not now returns to the permission screen; Open settings reopens the notice. After agreeing, later taps skip the notice and open Settings with a floating guide, which closes when access is enabled; unsupported or failed guide displays open Settings directly.

If the shortcut is enabled, "Oops, something isn't right" replaces the instructions. Its Open settings button opens Accessibility settings without the notice or guide: turn off Wispr Flow shortcut and keep the main service on.

Choose your privacy preference

  • Improve the model for everyone: permits collection of audio, transcripts and edits to evaluate, train and improve Wispr features and AI models.

  • Don't share data: your dictation data is not used for model training by Wispr or any third party, except dictations you choose to report to Wispr.

Choose one option and tap Next. New users default to sharing; returning users keep their saved choice. If the saved preference cannot load, Don't share data is preselected.

Change this later under Settings → DATA & PRIVACY → Improve the model for everyone. Dictation cloud storage is separate and is not locked by an organization's Zero Data Retention policy.

Organization and HIPAA restrictions

An organization's Zero Data Retention policy selects Don't share data and disables Improve the model for everyone, without an explanation on the setup screen. Growth and Enterprise plans enforce no sharing; neither members nor admins can enable it.

A personal signed HIPAA agreement does not lock the setup choice, but enabling sharing is rejected. In Settings, the locked toggle explains either "Your organization does not allow data to be used for model training" or "Turned off while a signed HIPAA agreement is in effect".

If restriction information cannot load, controls can appear unlocked, but the restrictions still apply. If you reach this step before joining an organization, the choice may still appear unlocked.

Keep Flow running on your phone

Note: Skip continues setup on every background-running screen. Without battery protection, your phone may stop Flow, including accessibility, in the background.

If you enable background protection, grant the standard battery exemption on every phone, including Pixel and Vivo. Pixel / stock Android needs no additional manufacturer setup.

  1. Tap Open settings on Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO, or Allow elsewhere; redesigned screens use Continue for the same permission.

  2. Grant the battery exemption, including on any additional Battery details page.

  3. Return to Flow if needed; setup advances when the exemption is detected, including if already granted.

Realme, Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, OnePlus, Tecno/Infinix/itel, and Xiaomi use separate settings screens and may open an additional Battery details page. Samsung, Pixel, Motorola/Lenovo, and unlisted phones use an in-app system dialog.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO

Open settings opens autostart first; No restrictions is a separate grant.

  1. Enable Autostart under Settings → Apps → Manage apps → Wispr Flow → Autostart.

  2. Select No restrictions under Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Battery saver.

  3. Lock Flow in Recent Apps by swiping down on its card.

If setup stalls after granting No restrictions, reopen Flow; some Xiaomi phones report the change only then. If Xiaomi's settings page cannot open, Flow falls back to App info.

On Pixel, the manual path is Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Battery → Unrestricted. If Flow shows "Something went wrong. You can try again or optionally skip this step.", retry or select Skip.

Finish and test

  1. Choose Allow notifications or Skip; an existing notification grant advances automatically.

  2. Select an answer to "Where did you hear about us?" if shown.

  3. Tap Next, answering any follow-up; a displayed survey cannot be skipped.

  4. Tap Finish on "You're all set!".

  5. Open an empty text field in a notes app; the keyboard and bubble appear.

  6. Tap the bubble to dictate a short phrase.

  7. Tap again to stop.

Confirm your text appears. If it does, setup is complete. You can also hold the bubble to dictate and release to submit.

Flow leaves nonempty or unreadable fields untouched rather than replacing their contents. If insertion fails, it copies the transcript to your clipboard, shows a temporary Copy button and a "Text copied to clipboard" notification; paste manually.

Without internet, dictation can start but fails with a transcription error; reconnect and retry. Another account on the same device must complete setup separately.

Note: Background operation uses an ongoing Wispr Flow notification, which says "Voice dictation is ready" while ready. Leave the Wispr Flow notification category enabled under Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Notifications.

If setup gets stuck

System Back opens Exit setup; confirming backgrounds Flow without skipping permissions. Back inside the language picker closes it; Back from the survey follow-up returns to the first question and clears selections.

Sign-in did not finish

After tapping Open Wispr Flow, the browser offers "Nothing happened? You may need to download Wispr Flow first". For the wrong account, use "Not <email>? Log in with another <provider> account". An Existing account message means use Back to login and the named provider.

"Finish signing in" appears only if Flow closed during browser sign-in and the attempt is under 30 minutes old. Google, Apple, and Microsoft offer Try again; other methods require Cancel and a fresh sign-in. Older attempts return to normal sign-in; dismissing the browser also returns to provider selection without an error.

Retry "Couldn't open the sign-in page. Please try again.", "Failed to sign in with <provider>. Please try again.", or "Sign-in didn't finish. Please try again." For "Too many sign-in attempts. Please wait a moment and try again.", wait before retrying. Setup continues when sign-in returns you to Flow.

Microphone permission was denied

After an ordinary denial, another bubble tap requests permission again. If Android cannot show the prompt, including after a lapsed one-time grant or permanent denial, Flow offers Go to Settings.

During setup, missing access plus Android requiring an explanation or more than two requests replaces the bubble with "For Wispr Flow to work, Open Settings to enable mic". This can happen even when Android could still show its prompt.

  1. Tap Go to Settings, or the tutorial's Open Settings, to open Flow's App info.

  2. Enable microphone access under Permissions → Microphone.

  3. Return to Flow and retry the tutorial or dictation test.

If speech produces text, microphone access is working; otherwise include this result when contacting support.

The bubble is missing or Flow cannot insert text

On Flow's Home screen, swipe between cards if needed and use the matching card's button—not the card body.

Card

Button

Action

We can't hear you

Allow Microphone

Requests access, or opens App info after permanent denial.

Enable Flow bubble on screen

Go to Settings

Follow the display-permission steps above.

Flow can't insert text

Go to Settings

Opens Flow's instructions to Restore Android accessibility.

Keep Wispr Flow running

Allow

Requests the missing battery exemption.

Flow isn't responding

Restart Flow

Restarts accessibility when permission remains on but it stopped working.

Flow Bubble Disabled

Turn Back On

Appears when Flow stopped with microphone, display, and accessibility permissions granted.

After any repair, repeat the dictation test. If text still does not appear, use Flow Bubble troubleshooting.

After setup, signed-in users with accessibility off reach recovery whenever they launch or return to Flow. Links and plan-page taps are not saved: restore access, then tap again. An Accessibility Status alert clears when access reconnects, including repairs made directly in Settings.

After reboot or app update, Flow attempts to restart with accessibility enabled; otherwise it requests access through a notification. Screen-unlock recovery requires being signed in and Flow not already running; Android can prevent a restart, and this path does not send the notification.

Still stuck?

Contact support if sign-in still fails, setup cannot advance after the required permissions are enabled, or the dictation test fails after the matching repair.

  1. Open the signed-in Dashboard drawer and select Report an issue.

  2. Select Issue under Request type.

  3. Describe the exact step or error and what you tried.

  4. Tap Send.

The form attaches your device model and Android version automatically and keeps your draft if sending fails. If you cannot reach it, email support@wisprflow.ai, including those details.