Voice isn't hearing me

Voice should feel effortless. When it does not, the cause is nearly always outside Solid Vibes: a permission, a device, or the browser. Work through these in order. Most people are fixed by step 1 or 2.

Symptom

• You press the mic or hold Space and nothing happens.
• The mic button turns on but the captions stay empty.
• The captions show garbled or wrong text.
• Live voice mode will not start, or drops.
• You see a message about microphone access or no minutes left.

1. Allow the microphone in your browser

The first time you use voice, your browser asks for permission. If you clicked Block, it remembers.

1. Click the lock or settings icon at the left of the address bar.
2. Find Microphone and set it to Allow for this site.
3. Reload the page.

Voice needs a secure connection (https), which Solid Vibes always uses. If you are on a managed work browser, an administrator may have disabled microphone access. Ask your IT team.

2. Allow the browser in your operating system

Even with the browser's permission, your system can block it.

• macOS: System Settings, Privacy & Security, Microphone. Make sure your browser is on.
• Windows: Settings, Privacy & security, Microphone. Allow desktop apps and your browser.
• Linux: Check your sound settings and that the browser is not muted.

Restart the browser after changing this.

3. Check you are using the right microphone

Your computer may be using a device you did not expect (a monitor, a webcam, an unplugged headset).

• Open your system sound settings and look at the input level meter while you speak. It should move.
• Choose the right input device there, and in your browser's site settings if it offers a choice.
• Try a different device (a headset) to rule out a faulty mic.

4. Close anything else using the mic

Video calls, recording software and other tabs can hold the microphone. Close them and try again. Some systems let only one app use the mic.

5. Use the right gesture

• Click the mic button to start and stop.
• Hold Space for push-to-talk, but only when your cursor is not typing in the prompt bar. Inside a text field, Space simply types a space.
• If the page does not have focus, click on it once.

6. Check browser support

Voice relies on modern browser features for microphone access and, in Live mode, real-time audio. A current version of a mainstream desktop browser (Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox) is the safest choice. Older browsers, in-app browsers (inside another app), and some privacy-hardened setups may block it.

• Update your browser.
• Disable extensions that block microphone or media access, temporarily.
• Try a private window to rule out extensions.

Editing in Solid Vibes is a desktop web experience. On phones and tablets the app is a viewer, so voice for editing is not offered there. Typing always works.

7. Check your plan and credits

• Live voice mode has a monthly allowance of minutes by plan (the free trial includes 15). If you have used them, Live mode will stop until the next period. Push-to-talk and typing still work.
• Voice also uses credits: by default 1 per minute for dictation, and 4 (Fast) or 6 (Smart) per minute for Live mode.
• After the free trial ends, your account is read-only until you subscribe, and the agent (including voice) is unavailable.

Check Account, AI credits to see your balance.

8. If the captions are wrong, not missing

Accuracy problems are about speech, not setup:

• Say units: "twenty-five millimetres".
• Slow down a little and pause between sentences.
• Reduce background noise or move closer to the mic.
• Say tricky words differently ("M three screw", "tapped hole").
• If one word keeps failing, type it.

Voice prompting tips has more.

Still stuck?

1. Test the mic elsewhere, such as a system sound recorder, or another website that uses the mic. If it fails there too, the problem is your device.
2. Try another browser.
3. Reload and try again after a minute, in case of a temporary network problem, as Live mode needs a stable connection.
4. Type the request. Everything you can say, you can type. Nothing is lost by switching.
5. Tell us. Use "Did this help?" below, or contact support, and include your browser, your operating system, and what you see. A screenshot of the browser's site settings helps.

How to avoid it

• Grant microphone access the first time you are asked.
• Use a decent headset.
• Keep your browser updated.
• Keep an eye on your Live voice minutes if you use it heavily.

Try it

Run a quick self-test. Click the mic and say the sentence below. Watch the captions.

Hello, what is this model's overall width?

If the words appear but the answer does not, the mic works and the issue is elsewhere (credits or plan). If no words appear, return to steps 1 to 3.