The Recording Window

What the recording window shows during a recording and how to interact with it on macOS, Windows, and iOS.

When you start a recording, HyperWhisper displays a compact overlay on screen. It gives you live feedback that recording is active, shows how long you’ve been recording, and lets you stop or cancel without opening the main app.

How it appears

macOS

A small pill-shaped floating window (200×40 px) appears on screen. It floats above your other windows and does not steal focus from whatever application you are typing into.

Windows

An always-on-top pill-shaped overlay window appears. It matches the macOS design and does not activate (take focus) when it appears. You can drag it to any position on screen — the position is saved automatically and restored on the next recording.

iOS

On iOS 16.1 and later, a Live Activity appears. On devices with a Dynamic Island, recording status shows there. On devices without a Dynamic Island (and on the lock screen), a banner at the top of the screen shows recording status and elapsed time.

What it shows during recording

macOS

During an active recording the window contains:

• Stop button — a red circle; click it to end the recording and begin transcription
• Mode badge — a capsule showing the name of the current transcription mode
• Animated waveform — 25 vertical bars that react to your microphone input in real time (see Audio level visualization)
• Duration timer — elapsed time in MM:SS format, displayed in a monospaced font
• Streaming indicator — a small colored dot that appears when you use a streaming transcription mode (see States)

Windows

During an active recording the window contains:

• Stop button — a red circle; click it to end the recording and begin transcription
• Mode badge — a capsule showing the name of the current transcription mode
• Animated waveform — 25 vertical bars that react to your microphone input in real time (see Audio level visualization)
• Streaming indicator — a small colored dot visible when using a streaming transcription mode

iOS

The Live Activity shows:

• Mode name and icon (Dynamic Island expanded view, leading region)
• Status label — “Recording” or “Transcribing…”
• Duration timer — counts up from the recording start time (recording state only)
• Progress spinner — shown during transcription
• Static waveform — five bars displayed in the Dynamic Island expanded bottom region during recording (Live Activities don’t support animated bars)
• Compact mic icon — shown in the Dynamic Island compact and minimal views; red during recording, blue during transcription

States you’ll see

The window transitions through several states as your recording progresses.

State	What you see
Recording	Waveform animates; duration timer counts up; stop button is visible
Transcribing	Spinner with a status message; waveform stops
Post-processing	Spinner with a status message; shown when AI post-processing is enabled and running after transcription
Success	Checkmark icon with “Pasted!” (or “Saved to Notes” if that delivery was used); window closes automatically after a moment
Copied	Clipboard icon shown when text was copied to clipboard but not pasted (for example, when a password field is detected)
Error	On Windows: error message shown inline; window stays open so you can read it. On macOS: a floating toast appears above the window, then the recording window closes automatically
Cancel confirmation	”Cancel?” prompt with No and Yes buttons

Streaming indicator colors

When using a streaming transcription mode, a small dot appears next to the waveform:

Color	Meaning	Platform
Orange (pulsing)	Connecting or warming up	macOS, Windows
Green	Actively streaming	macOS, Windows
Yellow/orange (pulsing)	Reconnecting	macOS, Windows
Red	Connection error	Windows only (macOS renders no dot in this state)

Controls

macOS

Action	How
Stop recording	Click the red stop button
Request cancellation	Press Escape
Confirm cancellation (if prompted)	Press Return or click Yes
Dismiss cancellation prompt	Press Escape again or click No

Windows

Action	How
Stop recording	Click the red stop button
Request cancellation	Press Escape
Confirm cancellation (if prompted)	Press Enter or click Yes
Dismiss cancellation prompt	Press Escape or click No
Move the window	Click and drag anywhere on the window body

iOS

Action	How
Monitor status	Glance at the Dynamic Island or lock screen
Return to the app	Tap the Dynamic Island or the lock screen Live Activity

Stopping a recording is done from within the app after you tap through.

Cancel confirmation

If you press Escape during a recording, a “Cancel?” confirmation prompt replaces the normal recording view instead of immediately discarding your audio once your recording is long enough:

• macOS: the prompt appears when the recording is longer than 15 seconds (strictly greater than); a recording of exactly 15 seconds cancels immediately without a prompt

• Windows: the prompt appears when the recording is 15 seconds or longer (15 seconds inclusive)

• No (or press Escape again) — dismisses the prompt and resumes recording

• Yes (or press Return / Enter) — cancels the recording and discards the audio

If your recording is below the threshold, pressing Escape cancels immediately without a prompt.

Audio level visualization

The animated waveform gives you real-time feedback on what your microphone is picking up.

• The 25 bars are center-peaked: center bars animate to a higher amplitude than outer bars, matching the natural shape of speech energy
• Bar height scales with your microphone input level — louder speech drives taller bars
• On Windows, animation speed also increases with louder input; on macOS, animation speed is constant regardless of amplitude
• The waveform is hidden during the transcribing phase on both macOS and Windows — a spinner replaces it

If the waveform is flat or barely moving while you are speaking, check that the correct microphone is selected in Settings → Audio Input.

Window behavior

macOS

• Floats above all other windows without stealing focus
• Closes automatically after the success or error state resolves
• Your last position is saved and restored on the next recording

Windows

• Always on top; never activates (doesn’t pull focus from your work)
• Draggable; your last position is saved and restored next time
• Defaults to the bottom center of the screen if no saved position exists, or if the saved position is no longer on screen
• Closes after the success or error state resolves, or when you dismiss the result

iOS

• Live Activity appears automatically when a recording starts
• Updates in real time while your phone is locked
• Tapping it opens HyperWhisper
• The Live Activity ends when transcription completes

Tips

• If the waveform shows no movement while you speak, your microphone may be muted or the wrong device may be selected. Check Microphone Selection.
• On Windows, drag the overlay to a corner of your screen that doesn’t cover the area you’re working in — the position persists across recordings.
• For long dictations, glance at the duration timer to confirm the recording is still active before you stop.
• On iOS, keep an eye on the Dynamic Island during long recordings — it shows whether the recording is still active or has moved to the transcribing phase.