# Willow Voice recording indicator for Mac: Dictation Indicator

> Dictation Indicator puts a border around your Mac screen whenever Willow Voice is using the microphone, so you know it is listening before you say a word.

## Talk to Willow Voice without second-guessing

Dictating an email, a Slack message, a long note: you want your eyes on the words, not on a status icon. But without looking, you cannot tell whether Willow Voice is still recording.

Dictation Indicator makes it obvious. Willow Voice is built in, and a glow around the screen shows exactly when it is recording and when it stopped.

## How Dictation Indicator shows when Willow Voice is recording

- The border (or badge) appears within about 0.1 seconds of Willow Voice starting to record and fades when it stops.
- No shortcut to set up: it reacts to the microphone, so it works with your Willow Voice shortcut, push-to-talk or a click, and stays in sync when you cancel with Esc.
- Willow Voice is built in, so there is nothing to configure. No permissions: it never records or listens to audio.

## FAQ

### Does Dictation Indicator work with Willow Voice?

Yes. Willow Voice is built in. When Willow Voice starts recording, a border appears around your Mac screen within about 0.1 seconds, and it fades away when recording stops. The welcome guide finds Willow Voice if it is installed, so there is nothing to set up.

### Do I need to set up a shortcut for Willow Voice?

No. Dictation Indicator does not read the keyboard. It reacts to the microphone, so it works however you start Willow Voice: your shortcut, a click or push-to-talk. It stays correct when you cancel with Esc or Willow Voice stops on its own.

### Does it need microphone access?

No. Dictation Indicator never records or listens to audio, so macOS never asks it for microphone access. It only checks which apps are using the microphone.

### Will Zoom calls or screen recordings trigger the border?

Not by default. Only the dictation apps on your list, like Willow Voice, trigger it. You can switch to showing the border whenever any app uses the microphone.

### Will the border show up in my screen recordings?

No, not by default. The border is hidden from screenshots and screen recordings, so it does not appear in videos you record.

### Is Dictation Indicator made by Willow Voice?

No. Dictation Indicator is an independent Mac app and is not affiliated with Willow Voice. It works alongside Willow Voice by watching which app is using the microphone.

### What do I need, and when can I get it?

A Mac with Apple Silicon running macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Dictation Indicator is coming soon to the Mac App Store.

Willow Voice is a trademark of its owner. Dictation Indicator is an independent app and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Willow Voice.

More: https://dictationindicator.com/index.md