Free Flow support

Free Flow is dictation for iPhone, iPad and Mac. On iPhone and iPad it is a keyboard; on a Mac you hold fn. A speech model on your device writes what you say.

Setup on iPhone and iPad

1. Open Free Flow and follow setup. It recommends a speech model, shows its size on the Download button and downloads it when you tap. Setup then asks for the microphone and shows how to turn on the keyboard.
2. Allow the microphone when Free Flow asks.
3. Turn on the keyboard: Settings > Apps > Free Flow > Keyboards. Turn on Free Flow and Allow Full Access.
4. In any app, tap the globe key until the Free Flow keyboard shows.

The keyboard and the app

iOS does not let keyboards use the microphone, so the Free Flow app does the listening. When no mic session is on, the mic key opens Free Flow, which starts listening. To go back, tap your app's name at the top left, or swipe right along the bottom edge, then finish from the keyboard. The mic then stays ready for the time set in Settings > Session > Keep the mic ready for (5 minutes, 15 minutes or 1 hour; 15 minutes unless you change it), and the mic key works without leaving your app. A Live Activity shows the time left and a Stop button. A phone call, Siri or another app taking the audio turns the mic off. Free Flow turns it back on only when iOS says it may.

Finishing

Tap the check key to type what you said. A two-finger swipe up on the keyboard starts and a swipe down finishes; turn it off in Settings > Ways to start.

Cleanup

Settings > Writing > Clean up with Apple Intelligence writes each dictation in the style you pick, with the model Apple builds into iOS and macOS, on your device. It needs Apple Intelligence turned on, and on a Mac, macOS 26 or later. When it can't run, your words go in as heard, and the line under the switch says why. Settings > Writing > Where it runs shows the speech model in use, what it runs on and the memory Free Flow is using.

If setup says a step is not done

Setup checks the keyboard when the keyboard opens. If a keyboard step says Open the keyboard below to check, tap the box on that page and switch to the Free Flow keyboard; the steps update as soon as it opens. If your speech model is missing, the Dictate tab says so; open Models to download it again.

Other ways to start

Control Center: swipe down from the top right, tap + at the top left, Add a Control, search Free Flow and pick Start/Stop Free Flow.

Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize, then Lock Screen, and swap a bottom button for Start/Stop Free Flow.

Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and later): Settings > Action Button, swipe to Controls, tap Choose a Control, search Free Flow and pick Start/Stop Free Flow.

Back Tap (iPhone): in Shortcuts make a one-step shortcut with the Start/Stop Free Flow action, then pick it in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Back Tap > Double Tap.

Siri: say "Start Free Flow", then "Stop Free Flow".

With the Free Flow keyboard on screen, the text goes in at your cursor. Otherwise it is copied, ready to paste.

Video and music

Settings > Session > Keep videos and music playing is on unless you turn it off. Lower other audio while I talk is there if you want it.

On a Mac

Open Free Flow and follow setup: it downloads the recommended speech model, asks for the microphone and then for Accessibility. Turn on Accessibility opens System Settings at the Free Flow switch.

Hold fn and talk, then let go: your words go in where your cursor is. Press fn twice to talk without holding it, then fn again to stop. Esc cancels.

After each dictation the mic turns off. Settings > Session > Mic after fn keeps it ready for 5 minutes, 15 minutes or 1 hour instead.

If fn does nothing, Accessibility is off. Click Turn on Accessibility on the Dictate tab or in Settings.

If fn also opens emoji or changes the input source, set "Press fn key to" to Do Nothing in System Settings > Keyboard. Free Flow shows this note when it applies.

If your words stay on the clipboard instead of going in, Accessibility is off. Paste with Command-V, or pick Paste last dictation from the Free Flow menu bar item.

Free Flow records from the Mac's default input. Change it in Sound settings.

Models and storage

Downloads run from 220 MB to 1.23 GB. The Models tab shows what is on your device and lets you delete any model.

Privacy

Your voice and your text stay on your device. There is no account, and nothing is tracked. Free Flow goes online only to download speech model files. Once a model is downloaded, dictation works with no internet connection. Full policy: mashbox.gg/freeflow/privacy

Contact

[email protected]. Please include your Free Flow version (Settings > MASHBOX Labs > Version) and your iPhone, iPad or Mac model.