Sprecho on the phone works differently from Sprecho on a computer: instead of a global hotkey, it becomes a keyboard you switch to. Once it is set up, you dictate in WhatsApp, Mail, Notes, Slack or anywhere else you would normally type.
Requirements
- iPhone or iPad: iOS 16 or later.
- Android phone or tablet: Android 10 or later.
- An internet connection — recognition and formatting run on Sprecho's servers in Germany.
1. Install the app
- iOS: search for Sprecho in the App Store, or open the App Store listing.
- Android: search for Sprecho in Google Play, or open the Play Store listing.
2. Sign in with the same account
Use the email address and password you already use on your computer, or the Google, Microsoft or Apple account you signed up with.
One account covers every device. Your plan, your personal dictionary, your snippets and your history are the same on the phone as on the desktop — nothing needs to be entered twice.
If you do not have an account yet, see Create your account and start the trial.
3. Enable the Sprecho keyboard on iOS
The app walks you through this, and it is four taps in the iOS Settings app:
- Open Settings.
- Go to General → Keyboard → Keyboards.
- Tap Add New Keyboard… and choose Sprecho.
- Tap Sprecho in the list again and switch on Allow Full Access.
Then, in any app, tap and hold the globe icon on the keyboard and pick Sprecho. Tap the microphone button, speak, and your text is inserted.
Full Access is not optional and it is not a data grab: an iOS keyboard extension has no microphone and no network without it, so dictation simply cannot run. Sprecho uses it to record while you hold the mic button and to send that audio for transcription — nothing else.
If Sprecho does not appear in the keyboard list, close the Settings app completely and open it again. iOS sometimes takes a moment to register a newly installed keyboard.
3. Choose your input method on Android
Android offers two ways to dictate, and you can use both:
- Keyboard — replaces your keyboard with Sprecho. Dictate directly in any text field.
- Floating Bubble — a small button that appears when you focus a text field. It works with whatever keyboard you already use.
The setup screen asks for what each one needs: microphone access for both, plus Draw over other apps and the Sprecho accessibility service for the bubble. Android may also ask you to exempt Sprecho from battery optimisation so the bubble is not stopped in the background.
You can change your mind later under Settings → Input method.
What mobile does, and what stays on the computer
| Capability | Mobile | Desktop |
|---|---|---|
| Dictate into any app | Yes, via the Sprecho keyboard or bubble | Yes, via a global hotkey |
| Personal dictionary and snippets | Yes, shared with desktop | Yes |
| Notes and dictation history | Yes | Yes |
| 100+ languages with auto-detection | Yes | Yes |
| Global push-to-talk key | No — phones have no such key | Yes (fn, Insert, Control+Space) |
| Import an existing audio file | No | Yes |
Words you dictate on the phone count against the same weekly quota as words you dictate on the computer, and the free plan's 2,000 words per week is shared across all your devices.
If dictation does not start on the phone
| What you see | What it usually is |
|---|---|
| Sprecho is missing from the iOS keyboard list | Settings needs a full restart before a new keyboard appears |
| The mic button does nothing on iOS | Allow Full Access is still off for the Sprecho keyboard |
| The Android bubble disappears after a while | Battery optimisation stopped it — allow Sprecho to run in the background |
| Android says the accessibility service was turned off | Samsung and some other makers stop it in the background. Switch the Sprecho toggle off and on again |
More detail in The mobile keyboard does not dictate.