Can I use my Android phone as a microphone for my PC?

Yes. Either stream the phone's audio to a virtual microphone on Windows, or use a dictation app that turns your speech into text on the phone and types it on the PC. For writing, the dictation approach is simpler.

Do the phone and PC need to be on the same Wi-Fi?

Not with Cursor Flow. On the same network it connects directly; elsewhere it uses an encrypted relay.

Does it work in any Windows app?

Cursor Flow types at the focused cursor in any app with a standard text field, including Outlook, Slack, browsers and code editors.

Text is typed live, word by word, as you speak. On a slow connection it can take a moment longer.

How to use your Android phone as a microphone for your Windows PC

Turn your Android phone into a close, quiet microphone for voice typing on Windows. The options, the setup, and tips for clean results.

How phone-to-PC dictation works in Cursor Flow: you speak into the phone, and the words are typed at the PC cursor in whatever app is focused.

Maybe your laptop's microphone is poor. Maybe your desktop has none. Maybe you're at a busy desk and don't want to talk loudly. In all three cases, the best microphone you own is probably already in your pocket. Phones are built to capture a voice at close range, clearly, in noisy places. This guide shows how to use yours with a Windows PC, with a focus on voice typing.

Two different meanings of "phone as a mic"

People mean one of two things, and the right tool depends on which one you need:

Goal	What happens	Good for
Phone as an audio input device	The PC sees the phone as a microphone and receives raw audio	Calls, recording, streaming, apps that need a mic device
Phone for dictation to PC	The phone listens, the speech becomes text, and the text is typed on the PC	Writing emails, chats, docs and prompts by voice

If you only want to write by voice, you don't need to stream audio and set up virtual audio drivers. A dictation tool skips that and just puts text where your cursor is.

Why a phone makes a good dictation mic

It's close to your mouth. Held a few centimetres away, it captures your voice much more strongly than a laptop mic at arm's length (guides put laptop mics at roughly 45 to 60 cm from you, see Amical). That means fewer errors and a softer voice.
It's built for voice. Phones are designed for calls in noisy places.
It's discreet. Holding a phone near your mouth looks like leaving a voice note. That matters in an office, where many people feel awkward dictating (WSJ).
It's free. No headset to buy.
It moves with you. You can stand up, pace or step into the corridor while you think out loud.

Option A: a phone-to-PC dictation app

A few apps send dictation from Android to Windows. Vox Manager is one that works over Wi-Fi. We built Cursor Flow to do this as part of a full Windows dictation app. Here is the Cursor Flow setup, step by step.

Step 1: Install on both devices

Download Cursor Flow for Windows 10 or 11, and the Android app (Android 9 or newer). Sign in with the same account on both. See install and sign in.

Step 2: Pair once

Open the pairing screen on the PC and scan the QR code with the phone. You only do this once. See the pairing guide.

Step 3: Click where the text should go

On the PC, click into an email, a chat box, a document or your code editor's prompt. Cursor Flow types into whatever is focused, in any app with a standard text field.

Step 4: Speak into the phone

Tap the mic, hold the phone a few centimetres from your mouth and speak in a soft, steady voice. The words are typed at the PC cursor live, word by word, as if from a keyboard, so nothing on your clipboard is overwritten.

Step 5: Fix by voice if needed

Say a short correction to edit what you just dictated. See edit by voice.

How the connection works

When the phone and PC are on the same network, they connect directly. When they aren't, for example when you're on mobile data in a corridor, Cursor Flow uses an encrypted relay so it still works. See dictate from phone to PC and security and data.

What if no text field is focused?

This is the classic phone-to-PC failure: you talk for a minute and the text goes nowhere. In Cursor Flow, if nothing is focused, the text is held in the dictation bar until you pick a field. It's never typed into a password field. Details are in held text and password safety. If text isn't appearing at all, our troubleshooting guide covers the usual causes.

Option B: phone as a real audio device

If you need the PC to treat the phone as a microphone, for example in a video call app, you need software that creates a virtual microphone on Windows and streams the phone's audio to it over USB or Wi-Fi. Expect a driver install and some latency. It's useful for calls, but for writing, Option A is simpler and more reliable because only text crosses the connection.

Tips for clean results

Point the bottom edge of the phone, where the main mic usually is, toward your mouth.
Keep a steady distance. Resting your elbow on the desk helps.
Speak softly rather than whispering. Whispering drops the voiced part of speech, and recognition gets worse.
Speak in complete sentences, so punctuation comes out naturally.
Add names and jargon to your vocabulary.
Don't dictate truly confidential details at a shared desk.

A day with a phone mic: three real situations

At a busy desk

You have a long status update to write and the team is around you. Click into the message on your PC, pick up the phone, hold it near your mouth and talk through the update in a low voice. The text builds up in the message box as you speak. You read it once, fix a name and send.

Walking between meetings

You leave a meeting with three follow-ups in your head. Before you sit down, click into a note on your PC and dictate them into the phone as you walk back. When you get to your desk, the draft is already there.

At home, no headset

A desktop PC with no microphone is common. Instead of buying one, use the phone you already have. For quiet rooms you can also switch to a PC mic later. Nothing about your setup has to change.

Common mistakes

Holding the phone too far away. At arm's length you lose most of the benefit. Keep it a few centimetres from your mouth.
Forgetting to click a field first. The PC needs to know where the text goes. If you forget, Cursor Flow holds the text until you choose a field.
Covering the mic. Fingers over the bottom edge muffle your voice.
Mixing two inputs. If both the PC mic and the phone are listening, you get duplicates. Use one at a time.

Beyond dictation: files

Once your phone and PC are paired, you can also stop sending photos and files to yourself on WhatsApp. Cursor Flow can send a photo or file from the phone straight to the PC, up to 1 GB per file. See file transfer.