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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.

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How it appears

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.

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What it shows during recording

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)

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States you’ll see

The window transitions through several states as your recording progresses.

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Streaming indicator colors

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

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Controls

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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.

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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.

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Window behavior

  • 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

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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.