Set it up.

two minutes — the only fiddly part is the one every keyboard asks for

on your phone

01

Install the APK

Tap Get the app — Android will ask to allow installs from your browser. That's normal for a direct APK.

02

Allow the microphone

On first open the app asks for mic access — it needs it to hear you. This is the only permission it can't work without.

03

Download a model

Pick your engine — whisper tiny is 75MB, the flagship is ~700MB. Wi-Fi recommended. Models come from HuggingFace, not from us.

04

Enable the keyboard

The app takes you to Android's keyboard list — toggle VoiceScribe on. Then the floating bubble appears whenever a text field has focus.

05

Overlay + accessibility

For the bubble to float over other apps, grant display over other apps and the accessibility service when prompted — each row in the drawer's DEVICE section jumps straight to the right setting.

cloud — openrouter, your key

01

Get a key

Make a free account at openrouter.ai → Keys → create. It starts with sk-or-.

02

Paste it in the app

Drawer → cloud section → paste the key → save. The key lives in the app's private storage on your phone; we never see it.

03

Pick a cloud engine

Six models from six vendors, each with price-per-hour on the card — whisper v3 turbo is the cheap one, scribe v2 the accurate one.

04

Choose your mode

local = on-device only · cloud = always the cloud engine · hybrid = cloud first, local fallback if it fails. Switch anytime — billing goes to your OpenRouter account at cost.

things your android might ask for

01

Developer mode

Some phones hide developer features behind a ritual: Settings → About phone → tap Build number ~7×. If yours doesn't respond, search "developer mode [your phone model]".

02

Installing apps from outside the store

If the APK won't open, Android wants you to allow your browser to install apps. Every vendor phrases it differently — search "install unknown apps [your phone]" or "sideload apk [your phone]".

03

Accessibility

The bubble needs to see which field you're typing in. Manufacturers bury this differently — look for Accessibility → Installed apps → VoiceScribe, or search "enable accessibility service [your phone]".

04

Battery saving that kills it

If dictation dies mid-sentence or the bubble vanishes, your phone's battery saver is suspending the app. Set VoiceScribe to Unrestricted — search "unrestricted battery [your phone]" if it's not where you expect.

05

Display over other apps

The floating bubble needs this permission to sit above your apps. Search "display over other apps [your phone]" — sometimes called "draw over apps" or "appear on top".

stuck on a step? the drawer has a live status chip for every permission — tap it and it takes you there