Reset and restart the Wispr Flow app

Mac / Windows

A reset deletes the local database file and restarts Flow. Your dictionary, snippets, notes, and some preferences re-sync from your account on restart. Settings such as shortcuts and audio preferences are stored separately and are preserved through a reset.

1. Open the Wispr Flow desktop app.

2. Click the Settings icon, then select System → Data.

3. Click Reset & restart, then click Reset & restart again in the confirmation dialog.

4. Quit Flow completely, then reopen it from your Applications folder or Dock (Mac), or from your Start menu or desktop shortcut (Windows).

5. Dictate a short phrase. If text appears correctly, the reset worked.

iOS

Reset & restart is only available in the desktop app. On iOS, restart or reinstall instead.

1. Force close Wispr Flow from the app switcher.

2. Reopen the app and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

3. Delete and reinstall Wispr Flow from the App Store if the issue continues, then sign in to sync your data.

Android

Reset & restart is only available in the desktop app. On Android, restart or reinstall instead.

1. Open Settings → Apps, find Wispr Flow, and tap Force stop.

2. Reopen the app and dictate a test phrase. If text appears, you're done.

3. Set Wispr Flow to "Unrestricted" or "No restrictions" in your device's battery settings if problems continue. Use the manufacturer-specific path below.

4. Uninstall and reinstall Wispr Flow from the Play Store if problems still continue, then sign in to sync your data.

Manufacturer-specific battery paths:

• Samsung: Settings → Apps → Battery → Unrestricted, plus add Flow to "Never sleeping apps."

• Xiaomi: Settings → Apps → Battery saver → No restrictions.

• Huawei: App launch → Manage manually.

• Google Pixel: No extra setup needed — Pixel devices follow standard Android behavior.

Bugs fixed in recent Mac and Windows updates

The following issues were fixed in recent desktop updates. Open Flow and go to Settings → About to update, then restart Flow.

• App crashed after deleting your account (Mac, Windows, v1.5.29): Deleting an account from within the app could cause it to crash immediately afterward. Fixed in v1.5.29 — the app now handles account deletion cleanly.

• In-progress dictation audio lost when quitting or restarting (Mac, Windows): Manually quitting or restarting Flow during a dictation discarded the recorded audio. Flow now saves the audio automatically; on next launch, the dictation appears in your history with a Recover link. Audio is not saved if the app crashes or is force-killed.

• Dictation and Flow Bubble unavailable after signing out and back in (v1.7.2): Flow's background service could fail to restart after re-authentication, leaving dictation unavailable until the app was force-closed. Fixed in v1.7.2.

• "Process restarted" error on every launch: A startup bug caused the error to appear on every launch, followed by a connection delay.

• Update downloaded but Flow stayed on older version (Mac): The shutdown process ran twice during an update, preventing the new version from installing correctly.

• Flow disconnected or restarted during fast typing (Windows): The background process shut itself down too aggressively during brief system slowdowns.

• Helper process crashed repeatedly, making dictation unavailable (Windows): A previous optimization prevented the app from reading its configuration file.

• App fails to launch or crashes on Windows (GPU-related): Some Windows users experienced crashes caused by graphics processing failures. Flow now uses software rendering on Windows, which eliminates these crashes without a noticeable performance impact.

• Dictation history silently wiped after updating (Windows, v1.4.822): If your Flow database file was marked read-only — commonly caused by OneDrive syncing your AppData folder, or by a previous app migration — your dictation history could be silently deleted when updating. Flow now detects and repairs this on startup. If repair fails, Flow resets the database and restarts.

Bugs fixed in recent iOS updates

The following issues were fixed in recent updates. Update Wispr Flow from the App Store, then reopen the app to confirm it runs normally.

• App hangs or launches slowly (v1.46–v1.48): A bug introduced between v1.46 and v1.48 caused the app to freeze frequently and launch significantly more slowly. Fixed in the latest version.

• Live Activity widget showing placeholder text: The widget displayed unreadable internal labels instead of properly translated text like word counts and status messages. All widget text now displays correctly in your language.

• Settings section headers showing internal labels: The Settings screen displayed raw labels instead of the correct translated headings. These now display properly.

• Crash when opening notes, paywall, or subscription screens: A bug could crash the app when navigating to certain screens.

• Black screen on keyboard after switching apps, or crash on launch: Two related issues caused display and startup failures.

Bugs fixed in recent Android updates

The following issues were fixed in recent updates. Update Wispr Flow from the Play Store, then reopen the app to confirm it runs normally.

• Crash during onboarding (v1.7.2): An onboarding screen could crash the app if a list on that screen contained duplicate entries. Fixed in v1.7.2.

• Flow Bubble didn't reappear after a reboot or app update: On some devices — particularly Samsung, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo — the Flow Bubble could fail to reappear after a device restart or app update, requiring users to manually reopen the app or toggle the accessibility service. The bubble now recovers automatically, and if it goes invisible for any reason, Flow restores it within about 45 seconds.

• Dictated text sent to the wrong app when switching: If you switched apps while the keyboard stayed open, Flow could attribute your dictated text to the previous app. Fixed.

• Incorrect web page context used during dictation: The browser URL associated with your dictation could become stale when switching between tasks. URLs are now only used when freshly captured.

• App didn't recover after being restarted by Android: If Android shut down Flow during an app switch and then restarted it, the accessibility service could fail to resume. Recovery is now handled more reliably.

• Accessibility permission revoked without explanation: When the accessibility permission was turned off, Flow always assumed the user had done it manually — even when the system or an app switch was responsible. Flow now identifies the cause more accurately and can recover and prompt you correctly.

• Dictated text not inserted, or insertion couldn't be confirmed: If Flow can't place dictated text into the target field or can't verify it landed, the text is now automatically copied to your clipboard, with a notification and copy button — so your dictation is never lost.

• Crashes or slowdowns on lower-end devices: Flow now reduces background processing on devices where context awareness is not enabled, improving performance and reducing crashes (including cases where the Flow Bubble would unexpectedly disappear).

• "App keeps crashing" dialog after background restart: Service recovery was improved to prevent rapid restart loops that could trigger Android's crash protection.

• Crash when viewing Dictionary or Snippets: Lists could crash if they contained duplicate entries during an update.

• Crash when scrolling through history or phrases: List views could crash when data was being synced at the same time.

• Flow Bubble disappeared after switching apps: The OS shut down Flow's background service, or the bubble failed to reappear. Focus tracking has been corrected.

• Dictation unavailable after system closed the app: The service didn't recover on its own after being shut down by the OS.

• Crash while navigating (sign-in, deep links, switching screens): A navigation bug could crash the app in various scenarios.

Where is the Reset & restart option?

Reset & restart is only available in the desktop app. Open the desktop app and go to Settings → System → Data.

Flow still feels slow after a reset

Fully quit and relaunch the app once more, then restart your computer to clear any system-level issues. If the problem continues, uninstall and reinstall Flow.

I was signed out after resetting

In rare cases, you may be signed out for reasons unrelated to the reset (such as an expired session). Sign back in with your usual account — your dictionary, settings, and stats re-sync automatically.

Features or shortcuts are still broken after reset

Confirm you are on the latest version of Wispr Flow. If the issue started right after an update, mention that when you contact support.

Will restarting Flow lose my in-progress dictation?

Not if you quit or restart Flow manually on desktop (Mac or Windows). Flow saves the recorded audio automatically, and when you reopen the app, the dictation appears in your history with a Recover link. Audio is not saved if the app crashes or is force-killed.

What does the "Audio system failed to load" error mean?

Flow was unable to load the audio system. Click Restart Flow in the error notification to restart the app. If the error persists, click Contact us in the same notification to reach support.

What does the "Storage Full" notification mean?

On desktop, this notification appears when your computer is running low on disk space. Free up space and click Restart Flow, or click Contact us if the problem persists. On Android, a storage full message may appear and recording stops — free up space and reopen Flow to resume.

What does the "Flow hit a snag" error screen mean?

This screen appears when Flow encounters an unexpected crash. Your data is safe. Click Restart Flow to restart, or Contact support to email the support team. On Android, tap Restart Flow or reopen the app manually.

What does the persistent "Restart Flow" notification mean?

If Flow's background service fails repeatedly, you'll see a notification titled "Flow is having trouble starting" with Restart Flow and Contact us buttons. Click Restart Flow to recover immediately. If the notification keeps appearing, click Contact us. The notification stays visible for 60 seconds.

What does the "Flow is having trouble loading" notification mean?

This is a briefer notification (visible for about 6 seconds) that appears for temporary loading issues. Click Restart Flow to resolve it.

Why do I see repeated update failure notifications?

Flow automatically retries failed updates up to 3 times, with increasing wait times between attempts. If all retries fail, an update error notification appears. After 24 hours, Flow resets and retries the downloaded update. If updates continue to fail, re-download Flow from wisprflow.ai to get the latest version.

Flow restarted on its own after a crash — is that normal?

Yes. If Flow detects a problem with its local storage after a crash, it automatically restarts to recover. This is intentional behavior on both Mac and Windows — no manual reset is needed unless the problem persists.

Why do I see a notification while Flow is running on Android?

Android requires a system notification while Flow has permission to display over other apps. This is a standard Android requirement — the notification goes away when you close the app.

I see "No internet. Try again later." when tapping the bubble (Android)

Flow requires an internet connection to transcribe. Connect to the internet and try again. If connectivity issues continue, close and reopen Flow.

"Couldn't paste text. Saved to clipboard" (Android)

If Flow can't insert your dictated text directly into the field, it saves the text to your clipboard and shows a notification with a copy button — so your dictation is never lost. Tap the copy button or paste manually from your clipboard.

"No audio" error screen (iOS)

If recording fails during dictation, an error screen appears with Dismiss and Retry buttons. Tap Retry to attempt recording again. If the issue persists, force close and reopen the app.