Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
If voice input on Android does not respond or the “Speak now” prompt disappears at once, the cause is usually one of 4: the keyboard app has no microphone permission, the Voice typing switch is off in the Gboard settings, the keyboard cache is clogged, or there is no internet, since cloud recognition works only with a network connection. Check in order, starting with the microphone permission.
More answers are in the voice input errors section.
Tapping the microphone icon on the Android keyboard either does nothing at all, or the prompt “Speak now” appears on the screen for a second and disappears at once without recognizing a single word. It is worth going through the causes in order, starting with the most common one.
Check in order
- Open “Settings” → “Apps” → Gboard → “Permissions” → “Microphone” and make sure the option “Allow only while using the app” is selected. Without this permission voice input does not respond at all.
- In the keyboard itself open Settings → Voice typing and check that the voice input switch is on. Sometimes it turns off when the keyboard settings are reset.
- If the permission and the switch are fine but voice input still does not work, open “Settings” → “Apps” → Gboard → “Storage” and clear the cache. A clogged keyboard cache keeps it from responding correctly to the microphone tap.
- Check the internet connection: voice input on Android works through cloud recognition and does not start at all without a network, Wi-Fi or mobile internet.
The most common cause in detail
Most often voice input fails because of the microphone permission: the system formally treats the keyboard as an app like any other and asks for its microphone access separately from the Gboard settings themselves. If the permission was once denied or reset, for example after a system update or a keyboard reinstall, voice input stops working silently, with no clear error message. A detailed look at exactly this case is in the article “grant permission to turn on voice input” (in Russian).
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tapping the microphone icon on the keyboard does nothing, or “Speak now” appears and disappears at once | Most often: the keyboard app has not been given microphone permission, the “Voice typing” switch is off in the Gboard settings, the keyboard cache is clogged, or there is no internet connection (cloud recognition needs a network). | 1) Settings → Apps → Gboard → Permissions → Microphone → “Allow only while using the app”; 2) on the keyboard Settings → Voice typing → turn on the switch; 3) Settings → Apps → Gboard → Storage → Clear cache; 4) check Wi-Fi/mobile internet. |
When it is easier to change the tool
If all four items are checked and voice input on the keyboard still does not respond, look at a broader analysis, for example why voice input does not work on a phone keyboard (in Russian). It collects other, less common causes. Potok is not available on a phone, tablet or watch: it works only on a computer, it is a cloud service for Windows, macOS and Linux, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet either.
Frequently asked questions
In Google's official materials reinstalling is not listed as a separate step: there is only clearing the cache via Settings → Storage. If that did not help either, it is wiser to check the other items on the list once more first, rather than deleting and installing the keyboard again right away.
Voice input not working on Android. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input not working on Android you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input not working on Android. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input not working on Android you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input not working on Android. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For Voice input not working on Android you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input not working on Android. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Voice input not working on Android you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to start
Potok is available for Windows, macOS and Linux. For two weeks everything is open for free, after that 2500 words per week without paying. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokThe Potok subscription also includes the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message or a long meeting recording and it returns the text. Without a subscription the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
Primary sources: support.google.com · support.google.com