Forgot your Voicebuds, or they're charging? You can still dictate — Subtle falls back to your device's microphone.
What changes without the buds
| With Voicebuds | Without (device mic) | |
|---|---|---|
| Whispering | Yes — in-ear mics hear your quietest voice | No — speak at normal volume |
| Noisy places | In-ear mics isolate your voice | Device mic picks up the room |
| Where it works | Keyboard, Mac hotkey, in-app | Same surfaces |
| Speech engine | Subtle engine | Device transcription |
Accuracy expectations differ: the Subtle engine with in-ear microphones is tuned for quiet and noisy environments; the device-mic path behaves like standard phone dictation.
On iPhone
Hold the mic on the Subtle keyboard as usual. Without buds connected:
- Sometimes the mic button will open the Subtle app first — phone-mic capture needs the app awake. Tap through and dictate; the text returns to where you were.
- If you see "Enable microphone access to dictate", grant mic permission: Settings → Subtle → Microphone.
On Mac
Open the Subtle app → Voice Input → choose Built-in mic. The menu labels Voicebuds — Recommended, and shows "Selected microphone (not connected)" if your chosen source isn't available. Your dictation hotkey works the same either way.
In the Subtle app
The in-app mic buttons (notes, chat) automatically use your device microphone when no buds are connected — the mic button's look tells you which is live: the earbud gradient means Voicebuds, navy means your phone. Offline? On-device transcription keeps basic dictation working; see Offline mode: what works and what doesn't.