Vox on Mac vs iPhone

What works the same on both, and what is genuinely different.

Vox runs on both, and the device pairs with both. What differs is how text gets from your voice into the app you are using, because macOS and iOS give apps very different permissions.

The short version

	Mac	iPhone and iPad
Dictate into any app	Yes	Yes, through a Shortcut
How text is inserted	Typed directly	Pasted from the clipboard
Notes	Yes	Yes
Voice commands	Yes	No
App-specific profiles	Yes	No
Use Vox as a microphone for other apps	Yes	No
Button shortcuts that send key combinations	Yes	No

On Mac

Vox runs in the background and inserts text directly into whatever app has focus. It can also present itself as a microphone, which is what lets tools like Superwhisper and Wispr Flow record from your device. Buttons can send arbitrary keyboard shortcuts.

This is the full experience. If you have both, do your setup on the Mac.

On iPhone and iPad

iOS does not let a third party app type into another app. Vox works around this with the Shortcuts app: you trigger a Shortcut, Vox transcribes, the text lands on your clipboard, and the Shortcut pastes it.

What this means in practice:

• Your clipboard gets overwritten each time you dictate. Whatever you had copied is gone.
• There is a moment of visible handoff. You will see the Shortcut run.
• Vox cannot act as a microphone for other iOS apps.

Installing the iOS Shortcut

1. Open the Shortcut installer in Vox

   In Vox, open Settings and find Dictate To Text Field under Shortcuts. Tap Add to Shortcuts.

2. Add the Shortcut

   The Shortcuts app opens with a pre-filled Dictate To Text Field Shortcut. Tap Add Shortcut, then return to Vox.

3. Assign it to the Action Button

   Open iPhone Settings, then Action Button, choose Shortcut, and select Dictate To Text Field.

iOS may show an Allow Paste? confirmation the first time the Shortcut pastes into an app. Accept it. To avoid repeated prompts, open iPhone Settings, then Apps, choose the app you dictate into, and set Paste from Other Apps to Allow.

Using both at once

Vox can be paired to multiple devices. Only one device is the active connection at a time, and both Vox and the app provide ways to switch between paired devices.

Press the black button once to cycle between the last two devices. Vox attempts to connect to the selected device if it is on and in range. You can also open the paired device list in the app, choose a device, and let Vox connect to it when available.