You hold the dictation key, you speak, and nothing happens — no waveform, no text, or a "No audio detected" notice afterwards. The recording side of Sprecho is not reaching your microphone. This is a macOS-level problem in almost every case, and the four causes below cover nearly all of them.
Try this first
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone and make sure the switch next to Sprecho is on.
- Quit Sprecho completely (right-click the menu-bar icon → Quit) and start it again. macOS hands a newly granted permission only to a freshly launched process.
- Open System Settings → Sound → Input, say a few words, and watch the Input level bar. If it does not move, macOS itself is not hearing you and no app can.
- In Sprecho, open Settings → General → Input Device and pick your microphone explicitly instead of Automatic (system default).
Sprecho is missing from the microphone list in System Settings
macOS only lists an app under Privacy & Security → Microphone once that app has asked for access at least once. If Sprecho is not there, the request never happened: start a dictation, let macOS show its dialog, and click Allow.
If you clicked Don't Allow earlier, the entry exists but its switch is off. Turn it on and restart Sprecho.
The wrong input device is selected
This is the single most common cause of a silent recording. A docking station, a webcam, a monitor with a built-in microphone or a headset that is connected but not on your head all register as valid input devices, and macOS will happily pick one of them as the system default.
On Automatic, Sprecho follows the system default unless it is a Bluetooth headset, in which case it uses the built-in microphone. Open Settings → General → Input Device and choose the device you actually speak into. The same list is in the menu-bar icon under Microphone, so you can switch between a headset and the built-in microphone without opening settings.
If a pinned device is unplugged, Sprecho shows Not connected, using another microphone next to it. The dictation then runs through the built-in microphone, a notice tells you so, and as soon as your device is back, Sprecho automatically returns to it between dictations.
Another app is holding the microphone
macOS lets several apps listen at the same time, so a video call does not block Sprecho outright. What it does do is change the device: Zoom, Teams, Meet, FaceTime and screen recorders switch the system input to their own preferred microphone, and they can put a headset into call mode, which lowers the input gain for every other app as well.
Leave the call, or select your microphone explicitly in Sprecho so the call app cannot move it underneath you.
Bluetooth headsets and AirPods
A Bluetooth headset can either be a good speaker or a microphone, not both at full quality. The moment it is used as an input, it drops to the narrow-band call mode, and you will hear music quality collapse at the same moment.
That is why Sprecho never records through a Bluetooth microphone on Automatic. If your AirPods are the system default, you dictate through the Mac's built-in microphone and the AirPods keep playing at full quality.
If you select the AirPods explicitly under Settings → General → Input Device or in the menu-bar icon:
- Sprecho opens their microphone only while you are dictating.
- Starting takes about half a second. If you speak straight away, the first words can be lost.
- Recognition is worse than with the built-in microphone, and music sounds like a phone call during the recording.
- AirPods may switch over from your iPhone to the Mac.
- If the headset stays silent, Sprecho records that dictation with the built-in microphone, shows a notice and returns automatically later.
More in Bluetooth microphones and dictation; for a comparison see Choose the right microphone.
Dictation fails right after the Mac wakes from sleep
Audio devices are frequently stale after a wake, and the first press can show Microphone is still waking up. Sprecho detects this and rebuilds its audio connection, so waiting a moment and pressing again is usually enough. If it persists past the second attempt, restart the app.
Symptom → cause
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| No waveform at all, no notice | Microphone permission is off, or Sprecho was not restarted after it was granted |
| "No audio detected" after speaking | The wrong input device is selected, or the device is muted in hardware |
| "Microphone is still waking up" | The Mac just woke from sleep — press again in a moment |
| Recording works but recognition is poor | An explicitly selected Bluetooth headset is in call mode, or a call app lowered the input gain |
| It worked yesterday, not today | A newly connected dock, monitor or headset became the system default |
| The first words are missing | A Bluetooth headset is still switching to call mode. Wait a moment after pressing the key |
Still stuck?
If your input level meter moves in System Settings → Sound but Sprecho still records nothing, that is worth a ticket rather than more guessing. Contact support and mention your macOS version, your Sprecho version (Settings → System → Updates) and which input device you selected. Collect logs for support explains what else to include.