Help
The problems that come up most often, and what usually fixes them. If your question is about how LocalType works rather than something going wrong, the FAQ is the better place.
Getting started
LocalType does not appear as a keyboard
A new keyboard has to be enabled in Android settings before it can be selected, under the language and input settings. After enabling it, switch to it using the keyboard selector that appears when a text field is open.
How do I switch back to my old keyboard?
The same way you switched to LocalType: through the keyboard selector while a text field is open. Enabling LocalType does not remove your previous keyboard.
The microphone key is not there
Voice typing needs a speech model. If none has been downloaded yet, that is the first thing to do. Note that the microphone is deliberately unavailable in password fields.
Microphone and audio
The microphone does not work
Check that LocalType has microphone permission in Android’s app settings. If another app is recording at the same time, Android may not hand the microphone over.
Nothing happens when I speak
Make sure a speech model has finished downloading rather than being queued. It is also worth checking that the phone is not muted at system level and that no headset is capturing the audio.
My Bluetooth headset is not being used
Which microphone Android hands to an app depends on the device and the headset profile. If results are poor over Bluetooth, try the phone’s own microphone to see whether that is the cause.
The transcription keeps missing words
Background noise, distance from the microphone and speaking speed all matter. A larger speech model generally copes better, at the cost of speed and storage.
Models and storage
The model will not download
The download needs a working connection and enough free storage. If it stops partway, starting it again is usually enough. On a metered connection, Android may hold large downloads back.
Voice typing is slow
Speed depends on your phone and on which model you chose. Moving to a smaller model is the first thing to try, and it makes the biggest difference on older hardware.
I need to free up space
Delete the speech model at the bottom of the model screen — that frees up between 60 and 540 MB, depending on which one you have. Voice typing stops working until you download one again; typing is unaffected. Switching to a lighter model instead keeps dictation working and still gains you the difference.
Where is the model stored?
The model LocalType runs on sits in the app’s own storage, which other apps cannot read. The file arrives in your Downloads folder first, like any download, and the app clears that copy once the model is in place.
Languages and typing
It transcribes into the wrong language
Automatic recognition can misjudge a short or noisy phrase. Setting the language explicitly gives it less room to guess wrong. Longer sentences are also easier to identify than single words.
Autocorrect is changing what I dictate
The dictionary follows the keyboard language, so a mismatch between that and the language you are speaking will cause exactly this. Keeping them aligned resolves most cases.
The keyboard layout is wrong for my language
The language setting can drive the layout, the dictionary and the dictation language together. Check that it is set to the language you actually intend to use.
Devices and moving phones
Which devices are supported?
Android 8.0 and newer. Whether a particular phone has the memory to run a larger speech model comfortably is a separate question, and establishing where that limit falls is one of the main reasons for the beta.
I have a new phone
Install LocalType and download a speech model again. Because app data is deliberately excluded from cloud backup, it is not carried across automatically — that is the trade-off for not copying your data off the device.
Does it work on a tablet?
Yes, as long as it runs Android 8.0 or newer and has a microphone. LocalType is an input method, so it appears wherever a keyboard does.
Error code pages
If the app showed you a code, go straight to the page that explains it.
Sending a diagnostic report
If none of the above helps, LocalType can export the technical details we need to look into it: app version, Android version, device and CPU, available memory, which model and language you selected, relevant settings, permission status and any error codes.
A diagnostic report contains no audio, no dictated text, no clipboard contents and no passwords. It describes the device and the configuration, not what you wrote.
Contact supportLocalType is in testing
Join the beta and help work out which phones, languages and situations still need attention.
Join the beta