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When you trigger push-to-talk, there is a brief moment while your operating system initializes the microphone capture path. On most wired or built-in microphones this delay is imperceptible, but on Bluetooth devices it can be long enough to clip the first word or two of your dictation. Keep microphone warm eliminates that delay by holding a silent, idle audio session open between recordings so the hardware is ready the instant you press your shortcut.

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How it works

When the setting is on, HyperWhisper opens a low-level capture session immediately after each recording ends and keeps it open until the next one begins. No audio from this idle session is stored, processed, or sent anywhere — the captured buffers are discarded as soon as they arrive. The session closes automatically while a real recording is running and reopens once recording stops.

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Enabling the setting

Open Settings → Sound and turn on Keep microphone warm between recordings.The change takes effect immediately — no restart required.

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Trade-offs to be aware of

While Keep microphone warm is on, macOS displays the orange microphone indicator in the menu bar continuously — even when you are not recording. This is expected behavior: macOS shows the indicator whenever any app holds a capture session open.Additionally, Bluetooth headsets may stay in their lower-quality call audio profile rather than switching back to stereo mode between recordings. If audio quality from your headset matters outside of HyperWhisper (for example, during music playback), consider leaving this setting off.
Turn the setting off if:
  • You want the orange mic indicator to appear only during actual recordings.
  • You use Bluetooth headphones and prefer stereo quality between recordings.
  • You are on battery and want to minimize background activity.

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Platform notes

  • The idle session uses AVCaptureSession with AVCaptureAudioDataOutput. All sample buffers are discarded immediately.
  • HyperWhisper reuses your existing device selection — if you have a specific microphone chosen in Settings → Sound, the warm session runs on that device.
  • If you switch input devices while the setting is on, HyperWhisper automatically restarts the idle session on the new device.
  • The session does not start if microphone permission has not been granted.