How do I use voice commands?

Voice commands let you control VoicePad **hands-free** — no keyboard, no tapping. Useful when your hands are busy or your device isn't within reach. **Available on:** Windows, Android. **Setup on Windows:** 1. Settings → Hotkeys → Voice Commands → enable 2. VoicePad downloads a small VOSK speech-recognition model (~40 MB, one-time) 3. Voice commands are now listening in the background **Setup on Android:** 1. Settings → Hot Word → enable (downloads the model) 2. Voice commands require Hot Word to be on first 3. Once Hot Word is active, voice commands work **The commands:** | Say | Action | |------|--------| | "Dictation start" (EN) / "Diktat Start" (DE) | 🎤 Starts recording | | "Dictation stop" (EN) / "Diktat Stop" (DE) | ⏹️ Stops and transcribes | | "VoicePad Orb" | 🟠 Toggles the Orb on/off (Windows + Android) | **Important: language gating.** Commands only activate when the **app language matches the command language**. If your app is set to German, only "Diktat Start/Stop" works. English app = English commands only. This prevents false triggers from background conversation. **How voice commands coexist with dictation:** The voice-command listener (VOSK) pauses while you're actively recording — it never competes with Whisper. When you stop recording, VOSK resumes listening. **Privacy:** Voice commands run **entirely on your device**. The VOSK model is small, fast, and never sends audio anywhere. Same privacy guarantee as Whisper. For Hot Word setup details (Android only), see [How do I set up Hot Word?](#).