Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
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.
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”.
| 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. 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.
By a model estimate, the average dictation speed with Potok is about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 characters per minute with ordinary typing, so speech is noticeably faster than the keyboard.
Any microphone the system sees as a recording device will do. In Potok you choose it in the app settings or in the tray icon menu; system access to the microphone is required.
Yes: Windows has built-in voice typing via Win+H (Russian only in Windows 11, Windows 10 has no Russian; it does not work without the internet), and the Mac has system dictation in the keyboard settings. Both are free.
Dictation is especially useful for long texts written off the cuff: email drafts, notes, replies in messengers, lecture notes, and also when hands are busy or tired (for example, with RSI). For short precise edits (one-word commands, code) typing is often faster.
Voice input is the conversion of speech to text on the fly: the user speaks, and the program transcribes the sound with speech recognition technology (ASR) and inserts the resulting text into the active field, such as email, a messenger or a document. In Potok this works through a hotkey: hold it, speak, release, and the text is inserted.
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: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
Primary sources: support.google.com · support.google.com