Speak a draft. Always review before sending.

Voice is permission-gated and review-first. Accessibility support covers system semantics and adaptive layouts, with some behavior still dependent on Android and the device manufacturer.

Open the user guide

Use the review-first voice flow

Tap Mic and grant microphone permission if requested.
Speak naturally; the app can continue through pauses.
Tap Stop.
Review and edit the transcript.
Choose Add, Edit, or Send explicitly.

Spoken words are never interpreted as a send command. Voice input in the terminal uses Insert without Enter, so a transcript does not execute a shell command by itself.

Understand the recognition provider

HerdRanger does not store the audio recording or send audio to Herdr (opens in a new tab) as a substitute for text. Android speech recognition (opens in a new tab) or the configured service may process audio under that provider’s privacy policy and network behavior.

Review your provider settings. Do not dictate credentials, private keys, recovery codes, or other secrets.

Audio focus and interrupted recognition

After recognition starts, HerdRanger requests temporary exclusive audio focus. Compliant media apps pause and resume when the voice action ends.

A brief provider interruption may show Reconnecting to voice input… while HerdRanger makes a bounded retry. Captured text is not sent. Persistent microphone, permission, or provider failure stops listening and shows an error.

Custom vocabulary

Optional vocabulary entries provide recognition hints and local spelling cleanup. They do not trigger sends, upload audio, or turn text into commands.

The current beta experience is English-focused. Recognition language availability and quality depend on the enabled Android speech service.

Accessibility and adaptive layout

Controls use TalkBack (opens in a new tab) labels and native Android semantics where available.
Settings offers Standard, Large, and Extra large text. Portrait and landscape, wide windows, and folded or unfolded layouts are supported.
On narrow screens, agent navigation appears below the conversation. On wider screens it moves to the left, and a dual-pane view is used automatically when width permits.
Critical status is expressed with text, not color alone.
Destructive and live-input actions remain explicit and named.

OEM window, keyboard, focus, and accessibility behavior can vary. Report a layout issue with the screen name, app/Android version, device model, orientation or fold state, and non-sensitive steps—never with credentials or private output.