Setup Wispr Flow on Android (Android Settings)

Google Pixel and stock Android

Pixel devices need no manufacturer-specific setup beyond the core permissions above.

1. Open any app with a text field. The Flow Bubble should appear above your keyboard.

2. Tap the Flow Bubble (or long-press for push-to-talk) and dictate a short phrase. If text appears in the field, setup is complete.

Samsung (One UI)

One UI's battery manager will close Flow in the background unless you mark it Unrestricted.

1. Complete the core permission steps above (Overlay, Accessibility, Microphone).

2. Set Wispr Flow's battery usage to Unrestricted in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Battery.

3. Add Wispr Flow to Never sleeping apps via Settings → Battery → Background usage limits → Never sleeping apps.

4. Disable Put unused apps to sleep under Background usage limits.

5. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO (MIUI / HyperOS)

MIUI and HyperOS require two separate steps for Flow to keep running reliably in the background.

1. Complete the core permission steps above (Overlay, Accessibility, Microphone).

2. Enable Autostart for Wispr Flow in Settings → Apps → Manage apps → Wispr Flow → Autostart.

3. Set Battery saver to No restrictions on the Battery Details screen for Wispr Flow.

4. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Huawei and Honor

Huawei and Honor devices aggressively close background apps unless battery optimization is disabled for Flow.

1. Complete the core permission steps above.

2. Set Wispr Flow's battery optimization to Don't allow.

3. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Oppo

Oppo devices use a different set of toggles to keep Flow running in the background.

1. Complete the core permission steps above.

2. Open Settings → App Management → App List → Wispr Flow and enable Allow Auto-Launch and Allow Background Activity.

3. Disable power saving mode, or add Wispr Flow to its exceptions.

4. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

OnePlus, Motorola/Lenovo, and Transsion (Tecno, Infinix, itel)

These devices need Flow exempted from battery optimization to keep the bubble alive in the background.

1. Complete the core permission steps above.

2. Set Wispr Flow's battery optimization to Don't optimize.

3. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Realme

Realme devices need Flow exempted from battery optimization to keep the bubble alive in the background.

1. Complete the core permission steps above.

2. Set Wispr Flow's battery optimization to Not optimized.

3. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Vivo

Vivo devices need Autostart enabled and Flow locked in recent apps to keep running in the background.

1. Complete the core permission steps above.

2. Enable Autostart via Settings → More Settings → Applications → Autostart, and toggle Wispr Flow on.

3. Lock Wispr Flow in recent apps so it isn't closed when you swipe it away.

4. Test by focusing a text field and tapping the Flow Bubble. If dictated text appears, setup is complete.

Flow Bubble shows a warning triangle or a pulsing spinner

This was caused by accessibility service connection drops on Samsung One UI 6 and devices with aggressive battery-saving modes, where the bubble could appear active but text insertion would silently stop. Flow now detects accessibility service disruptions immediately and signals them visually.

• Pulsing bubble with a loading spinner: Flow is automatically reconnecting. The bubble is not tappable during this state and resolves on its own once the connection is restored. You'll see a "Flow Bubble reconnected." message when it does.

• Warning triangle bubble: Shown when accessibility permission appears to have been revoked, or when Flow has been unable to reconnect. Tap the bubble to open Flow's accessibility repair screen, then tap through to Android's Accessibility Settings and re-enable Wispr Flow.

The warning triangle can also appear on devices where the OS leaves accessibility enabled in Settings but never reconnects the service after deep sleep. Tapping the triangle takes you through the in-app repair flow regardless of the underlying cause.

If the warning triangle persists after re-enabling accessibility permission, update Wispr Flow to the latest version from the Google Play Store and restart the app.

Flow Bubble doesn't respond when offline

When your device is offline, tapping the Flow Bubble does nothing — instead the bubble turns grey and a message appears: "No internet. Try again later."

Bugs fixed in recent updates

The following issues were fixed in recent versions of Wispr Flow. Update to the latest version from the Google Play Store to resolve any of them.

• Dictation didn't work in Chrome search boxes: Tapping the Flow Bubble in Chrome's search box would not insert dictated text.

• Flow Bubble was clipped in landscape orientation on some devices: On devices with navigation bars or display cutouts, the Flow Bubble could appear partially cut off when the device was rotated to landscape or reverse-landscape.

• Dictated text wasn't inserted directly in chat apps: In WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Instagram, Microsoft Teams, Signal, Slack, Discord, Snapchat, Google Messages, and Gmail, Flow could fall back to the clipboard instead of inserting text directly. Direct insertion now works; in apps where insertion cannot be verified, Flow still offers the clipboard as a fallback. This fix also covers a broader set of apps including LINE, WeChat, KakaoTalk, Viber, Reddit, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Notion, ChatGPT, Claude, DeepSeek, and TikTok.

• Flow Bubble didn't appear after enabling the accessibility service: The main Flow service did not start automatically after the accessibility service was enabled. Restart the app after updating, then tap into a text field to confirm the bubble appears.

• Flow Bubble flickered or behaved erratically when tapping into text fields: The Flow Bubble could flicker or behave erratically when you tapped into a text field. It now behaves correctly.

• Text inserted twice in chat apps: In some messaging apps with unreliable input field behavior (WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, Signal, Slack), dictated text could be inserted twice.

• Flow Bubble did not start automatically after device restart: When accessibility permission was already granted, the Flow Bubble now starts automatically when your device boots.

• Snooze lost when the keyboard opened: Putting Flow into snooze and then opening the keyboard would cancel snooze. Snooze now stays active when the keyboard appears.

• Shake-to-unsnooze stopped working: Shaking the device to exit snooze mode was not responding. Shake-to-unsnooze works again.

• Snooze card stayed on screen after force-stopping Flow: The snooze card could get stuck on screen after the app was force-stopped. It now clears correctly.

• Flow Bubble didn't shrink on search fields: The bubble did not reduce in size when focused on search fields. It now shrinks as expected.

• Flow Bubble positioned incorrectly in landscape: The bubble could appear in the wrong position when the device was rotated to landscape. Positioning is now correct in landscape orientation.

• Text insertion could time out on Samsung devices: On some Samsung devices, text insertion occasionally took long enough to trigger an app freeze warning. Failed insertions now recover noticeably faster.

• Microphone re-grant after revocation: If microphone permission was revoked while Flow was starting up, the Flow Bubble and overlay now remain visible so you can re-grant microphone permission without relaunching the app.

• Re-granting a permission from the home screen didn't return to the app: Tapping the error card on the Wispr Flow home screen to re-grant overlay or accessibility permission would leave you stranded in Android Settings. Flow now reliably returns to the foreground as soon as you grant the permission.

• Dictating into notification reply boxes lost existing text or inserted in the wrong position: On Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi/MIUI, OPPO/OnePlus, and Vivo devices, dictating a reply could overwrite text you had already typed, or insert dictated text at the wrong position. Dictation now preserves existing text and inserts at the correct position.

• Flow Bubble did not appear when replying to notifications inline: The Flow Bubble was missing when replying to notifications from the notification shade. The bubble now appears in notification reply boxes.

• Flow Bubble did not appear in browser address bars: The Flow Bubble was missing when tapping the address bar in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet, and other supported browsers. The bubble now appears so you can dictate URLs and search queries by voice.

• Tapping "Go to Settings" multiple times caused background problems: Tapping the button more than once when granting overlay or accessibility permission could trigger overlapping checks. Tapping it multiple times is now safe.

• Flow did not return to the foreground after granting accessibility permission: During onboarding, Flow would sometimes stay in the background after permission was granted. Flow now reliably brings itself back to the foreground as soon as the permission is granted.

• Flow Bubble disappeared after the system closed the app: If the system force-stopped Flow, the bubble would not return on its own. Flow now restarts automatically after unexpected system closures (not after a manual sign-out). On Android 12 and later, if background restart fails, Flow recovers the next time you bring the app to the foreground.

• Accessibility permission revoked with no easy way to restore it: Re-granting accessibility permission previously required navigating through system settings. Flow now detects this and takes you directly to an in-app screen to restore it.

• Accessibility permission silently turned off on some devices: On some devices with aggressive battery managers, Android may silently revoke Flow's accessibility permission, causing it to stop without warning. Flow detects this and sends a notification — tapping it opens Flow's in-app accessibility repair screen.

• Style or formatting choices not applied: Changing a style or formatting setting previously required restarting Flow. Selections now apply immediately on your next dictation.

• Recording bubble cut off: The recording bubble could appear visually clipped on some devices.

• Onboarding incorrect on foldables: On foldable phones using the inner display, onboarding screens could display with buttons not pinned to the bottom.

• Dictionary or Snippets list appeared empty: Reapplying a search or filter in Dictionary or Snippets could incorrectly show an empty list even when results existed.

Why does Flow need accessibility permission?

Flow uses Android's accessibility service to detect when you focus a text field and to insert dictated text into it. Without it, the Flow Bubble cannot read or write into other apps.

Why does Flow need Display Over Other Apps permission?

The Flow Bubble is a floating overlay that appears on top of whatever app you're using. Android requires explicit overlay permission for any app that draws on top of others.

What happens if I allow notifications?

Allowing notifications lets Flow alert you if a permission is silently revoked (so you can restore it quickly) and send you helpful tips and updates tied to your account — such as onboarding guidance and reminders. You can manage notification preferences at any time in Settings → Apps → Wispr Flow → Notifications.

Where do I change Flow Bubble size, opacity, or privacy mode?

Open Flow and go to Settings. General contains Languages, Flow Bubble Size, and Flow Bubble Opacity (with live preview and a Reset button). Data & Privacy contains the Privacy mode toggle to keep data stored only on your device.

Will Flow work offline?

No. Flow requires an internet connection to transcribe audio. A weak connection may cause delays or failed transcriptions.

Can I use Flow with a Bluetooth headset?

Yes. Flow uses whichever microphone Android has selected as the active input. Connect your Bluetooth headset before tapping the Flow Bubble.

Flow stopped working after my phone closed it in the background — do I need to reinstall?

No. Flow restarts itself automatically. If the Flow Bubble shows a warning triangle, tap it to open Flow's accessibility repair screen and re-enable Wispr Flow.

Does Flow start automatically when I restart my phone?

Yes. Once accessibility permission is granted, Flow starts automatically when your device boots, and also after app updates from the Play Store. On some devices with aggressive battery managers (Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, Samsung), the accessibility service may not reconnect automatically — if the bubble doesn't appear after reboot, opening Flow once will bring it back.

Can I dictate in browser address bars and notification replies?

Yes. The Flow Bubble appears in address bars across Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave, Samsung Internet, Opera, Vivaldi, DuckDuckGo, Kiwi, UC Browser, Yandex, and many other Chromium-based browsers, and in inline notification reply boxes (for example, replying to a WhatsApp message from the notification shade). Existing text is preserved and dictated text is inserted at the correct position.